A remarkable story has emerged from Cranbrook, England, where an 11-year-old boy unknowingly rescued a rare Renaissance print by the famed German artist Albrecht Dürer from the trash. The boy, now 24, had kept the artwork tucked away for over a decade, only recently discovering its extraordinary value. The print, Knight, Death and the Devil, a 1513 engraving by Dürer, is now heading to auction, with experts predicting it could fetch over $26,000.
The print, part of Dürer’s series of Meisterstiche (master engravings), depicts a knight on horseback accompanied by personifications of death and the devil. Dürer, considered one of the most technically gifted artists of the Renaissance, was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and influenced the likes of Raphael and Titian.
Mat Winter, who found the artwork at the dump when he was just 11, brought it to Jim Spencer, the director of Rare Book Auctions, earlier this year. Initially, Spencer had low expectations, but upon seeing the print, he was astonished. “I’ve seen countless copies of Dürer prints, but this was different,” said Spencer. “The quality was exceptional. I knew immediately it was the work of Dürer himself.”
Spencer took the print to experts at the British Museum, where a faint scratch on the knight’s horse—a well-known feature of Dürer’s original copper plate—confirmed its authenticity. While the piece’s value is somewhat affected by its mounting, the print remains in excellent condition, with striking clarity and contrast.
The online auction for Knight, Death and the Devil will conclude on September 18. Spencer described the piece as “the most important print I’ve ever cataloged,” and a stunning example of Dürer’s mastery in copper-plate engraving, a technique that elevated his already groundbreaking artistic achievements.
For the boy who saved it from the dump, this 500-year-old masterpiece may turn out to be a life-changing treasure.
