Rare Dürer artwork 'found at tip' fetches £26,500

Auction director Jim Spencer said he "immediately knew" the work was by Dürer

A 500-year-old engraving by Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, which is said to have been found at a tip, has sold at auction for £26,500.

Mat Winter, from Cranbrook, Kent, said he discovered the artwork when he was 11 and was unaware of its value until he took it to a specialist as an adult.

The engraving - titled Knight, Death and the Devil and signed and dated 1513 - was sold in an online auction by Rare Book Auctions on Wednesday.

Jim Spencer, director of the auction house, in Lichfield, Staffordshire, said there had been interest in the engraving "from all over the world" and the successful bidder was a private collector in Germany.

"I guess you could say this German Renaissance print is going home," he added.

Including a buyer's premium, the bidder paid £33,390 for the engraving, which had been listed with a guide price range of £10,000-£20,000.

Mr Winter has been contacted for comment following the sale.

The engraving is signed and dated 1513. AD.

Speaking before the auction, Mr Winter said he saw the work in the back of a woman's car while at the rubbish dump as a child, and asked her if he could take it.

"It’s got so much detail to it, and something told me that’s worth something but I never really knew what," he said.

'Enduring importance'

Mr Spencer said the sale was "a perfect end to a story that started with Mat Winter rescuing this from landfill".

"The final result is testament to the enduring importance of Albrecht Dürer," he added.

"Everybody is really pleased with the outcome."

Dürer, born in 1471, was a major painter and printmaker who introduced Renaissance art to Germany and northern Europe.