A rare 500-year-old engraving by Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer has sold at auction for £26,500. The engraving, titled Knight, Death and the Devil and signed and dated 1513, was discovered by Mat Winter from Cranbrook, Kent when he was just 11 years old and did not realize its worth until he took it to a specialist as an adult. The artwork was sold in an online auction by Rare Book Auctions on Wednesday. The successful bidder was a private collector in Germany who paid £33,390 for the engraving, including a buyer’s premium.
Director of the auction house in Lichfield, Staffordshire, Jim Spencer, said that the engraving had garnered interest “from all over the world”. The seller, Mr. Winter, allegedly spotted the artwork in the back of a woman’s car while at the rubbish dump as a child, and was fortunate enough to be able to take it with him. He later realized the significance of the piece and took it to auction.
According to Spencer, the auction’s success is “testament to the enduring importance of Albrecht Dürer”. Born in 1471, Dürer was a prominent painter and printmaker who brought Renaissance art to Germany and Northern Europe. Mr. Winter has not commented on the sale that he triggered by finding a valuable work of art in a landfill.
Final Thoughts: The discovery of valuable artwork in unusual places will likely always be a point of fascination for many, particularly the art-loving population. While many of us may not be so lucky, it’s always interesting to hear and share stories about unlikely finds, as well as to learn more about historical figures like Albrecht Dürer and the impact they had on the art world
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