Thirteen years ago, Mat Winter from Cranbrook, Kent, as he had done many times before, visited the local rubbish tip in search of hidden treasures. In the boot of a woman's car, the then 11-year-old spotted an intriguing print and asked if he could have it. The woman happily gave it to him, and Mat stored the artwork at home in a cupboard, along with other items he'd collected over the years.
Recently, however, Mat felt compelled to discover whether the print, dated 1513 and bearing Albrecht Dürer's famous monogram, was truly something special. He sent it to Jim Spencer at Rare Book Auctions in Lichfield, Staffordshire, for evaluation. Initially sceptical given the circumstances of the find, Spencer, an expert in antiquarian books and manuscripts, had a very different reaction upon seeing the print.
See also: Albrecht Dürer: 5 Extraordinary Facts
"I opened the package, removed the bubble wrap and staggered back in awe," Spencer commented. My hands were shaking as I held it up to the light. The laid paper was absolutely right for the period. The quality of the engraving was exceptional beyond words. I knew that only one person could’ve produced something like this – it had to be the hand of Dürer himself."
Spencer was now convinced that he had an original engraving of Knight, Death, and the Devil by none other than Albrecht Dürer himself—one of the three master prints by the renowned Renaissance artist, alongside Melencolia I and Saint Jerome in His Study. It was not a later reproduction. To be absolutely certain, he took the engraving to the British Museum in London, where it was compared with the originals held there. Any lingering doubts were soon dispelled: Mat Winter had indeed stumbled upon a genuine and masterfully crafted Dürer engraving from 1513, which was also in remarkably good condition.
See also: The First Known Artworks of 10 Famous Artists
The only drawback was that the old handmade paper had been glued onto a piece of cardboard, likely around 1900, which would affect the artwork's value. In perfect condition, such prints can fetch up to €200,000.
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The engraving was listed with an estimated price of £10,000 to £20,000 in an online auction hosted by Rare Book Auctions, which concluded on 18th September. The sale attracted considerable global interest, and the winning bid came from a private collector in Germany at £26,500 (£33,390 including the buyer's premium, about $43,680), as Spencer revealed to the BBC.
See also: 13p Harry Potter Copy Sells for £14,000
The online auction marked the inaugural sale for Rare Book Auctions, a new venture founded by Jim Spencer. Previously, Spencer had worked as an expert at Hansons Auctioneers for eight years, where he earned a reputation for his skill in identifying rare first editions of Harry Potter.
