Coastal watercolor scene of Marblehead, Mass., by Winslow Homer that was the crest of the auction at $15,000.

Review by Z.G. Burnett; Images Courtesy of Auction Gallery of Palm Beaches

PALM BEACH, FLA. — On September 9, the Auction Gallery of Palm Beaches conducted its September Discovery Auction, featuring objects from the collection of Mortimer Howell Cobb, Palm Beach, Fla. Cobb, who passed away in 1986, was the oldest surviving passenger of the Titanic and was 7 years old at the time of the disaster. Cobb went on to achieve the rank of Captain in the US Maritime service, and was a Palm Beach resident for many years. The objects from his collection were consigned from the estate of his third wife, June C. Underhill-Cobb, and sold for a trust in her name. Like many “discovery auctions,” the categories represented in almost 200 lots were broad, but bidders showed preference for American art and the small selection of fine jewelry and watches offered.

“Captain Richard Fanning,” John Singleton Copley, 1790, was bid to $12,500.

Leading the auction was a watercolor by Winslow Homer (1836-1910), showing the coastal landscape of Marblehead, Mass., that achieved $15,000. Homer produced his first series of watercolors in and around Gloucester, Mass., in 1873, later adopting the medium for his extensive travels. Because the watercolors were more transportable and dried faster than oil paints, Homer was able to capture fleeting sketches of the scenes and subjects he came across, and he quickly gained notoriety for these images. The painting was on paper with a laid cardboard backing, signed and presented in good condition. Consigned from the Cobb collection, the lot included a handwritten exhibition history, beginning with the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, in 1966-67.

Untitled oil on canvas by Mary Abbott, achieved $12,500.

Two paintings tied for second place in price at $12,500, but could not have been more different otherwise. An extensively documented portrait of Captain Richard Fanning (1774-1800) by John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) was listed first in the auction, and painted in London in 1796. Fanning was lost at sea while master of a merchant ship, and is an ancestor of the Howell and Cobb families in whose possession the painting has remained for more than 200 years. Next was an untitled and signed Abstract Expressionist oil on canvas by Mary Abbott (1921-2019). Although her work was overshadowed by her male contemporaries for many years, Abbott and other female artists have received much recognition for their contributions to the movement in recent decades.

The top jewelry lot was an 18K gold Cartier “Tank” watch with two rows of pavé diamonds on either side of its face that closed at $8,750.

Prices quoted with buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For more information, 561-805-7115 or www.agopb.com.