A drawing bought for only 30 dollars (26 euros) in a garage sale in the United States turned out to be, after long research, a work by the German Albrecht Dürer.
It would be worth more than ten million dollars (8.7 million euros) today, reports CNN relayed by Capital.
It was a collector working for the American gallery Agnews Gallery who got his hands on the famous drawing.
But the work of the painter, an emblematic figure of the German Renaissance, could well have slipped through his fingers.
A 16th-century drawing by one of the key figures of the German Renaissance has been valued in excess of $10 million after it was initially purchased at a yard sale for just $30 in 2017. #TheVirginAndChild #Durer #AgnewsGallery https://t. co/iRoe81BJeF
— TheFinancialDistrict (@TheFinancialD) February 8, 2022
An “extremely exciting” moment
In 2019, the collector traveled to Massachusetts for a friend's birthday.
While looking for a gift in a bookstore, the man was approached by the bookseller who explained to him that one of his friends had discovered a Dürer in a flea market in 2017. The collector was initially suspicious.
Indeed, the German painter has been studied so much that the last discovery about him dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
He finally agreed to study the famous drawing, baptized
The Virgin and the child.
"I said to myself: 'Either this is the greatest fake in history, or this is a masterpiece,'" the collector told
CNN
, recalling an "extremely exciting" moment.
To authenticate the drawing, three whole years and the participation of many experts were necessary.
The work, which could date from the early 1500s, is in an exceptional state of preservation.
It will most likely be sold at auction soon.
high tech
NFT: The first SMS in history sold more than 100,000 euros at auction
Culture
A work by Lucian Freud denied by the artist himself has been authenticated by experts
Video
Auction
Did you see ?
Art
United States
Flea market
Design
0 comment
0 share
Share on Messenger
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Flipboard
Share on Pinterest
Share on Linkedin
Send by Mail
To safeguard
A fault ?
To print