Thought to be a 20th-century reproduction, the drawing by German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer was bought at a house clearance sale.
'The Virgin and Child with a Flower on a Grassy Bank': An actual Dürer bought for 30$Image: Malcolm Park/Cover Images/imago images
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An unknown drawing by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer has been unveiled at Agnews Gallery in London.
Bought five years ago for just €27 ($30) at a house clearance sale in the US, it now estimated to sell at around €44.5 million ($50 million).
"The Virgin and Child with a Flower on a Grassy Bank" (dated to around 1503) had been in the collection of architect Jean-Paul Carlhian, who lived just outside of Boston. He died in 2012 and his widow Elizabeth died three years later, leading to the house clearance sale in 2016.
Although the drawing bore a prominent "AD" monogram, the family believed it was a 20th-century reproduction, either of a Dürer drawing or a print.
It was Clifford Schorer, a key Agnews shareholder, who later made the discovery in 2019. He told The Art Newspaper that the drawing "could fetch a record price" for a work on paper by an Old Master. Agnews however has not fixed a firm price and is currently exploring interest.
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German Renaissance master
Considered one of Germany's most influential painters, Albrecht Dürer's "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is one of the masterpieces of art history.
Born in 1471, Dürer lived in the transitional period between the late Middle Ages and the early modern era.
It was a time of significant social upheavals that saw the Church and religion increasingly losing importance. Instead, the individual came to the fore — even in art. The new image of the Renaissance man took centerstage in literature, architecture, painting and sculpture. Dürer's work reflected these great developments of the time.
Travel as inspiration
Dürer's native Nuremberg was a center of economic and cultural life during his time. This helped the master of wood and copperplate engraving achieve early fame.
The art market was also changing rapidly during this period. Dürer was financially stable, owing to a pension from the emperor, and from the sale of his paintings, for example at the Frankfurt Fair. Thus, he quickly rose to become a superstar of the European art scene during his lifetime.
Dürer's world renowned painting, 'Young Hare' (1502)Image: Reuters
His stint as a goldsmith's apprentice helped him forge his outstanding craftsmanship.
He learned to work with metal surfaces and applied this knowledge to produce his renowned copperplate engravings.
Consequently, his woodcuts and copper engravings were printed in large numbers and sold well in Germany and throughout Europe. His monogram can be found on all of his works — a seal of quality, and an early forerunner of the concept of copyright.
The 'Four Riders of the Apocalypse' as Dürer envisioned them
Dürer's great passion was to travel, and it inspired his works. Five hundred years ago, between 1520 and 1521, he traveled through the Rhineland and what then constituted the Netherlands. He kept a travel journal that gives us insight into how he lived, who he met, and what amazed and inspired him.
Amongst others, he paid a visit to Aachen in October 1520 to attend the coronation of Charles V, returning to the city in July 1521 on his journey home to Nuremberg. The art of this road trip was on display in Aachen in the 2021 exhibition "Dürer was here. A journey becomes legend," which commemorated the artist's 550th birthday.
The Agnews Gallery in London is now presenting the newly discovered drawing in the show, "Dürer and His Time."
Albrecht Dürer on the road
The great German Renaissance painter was also an avid traveler. The city of Aachen is exhibiting some of his magnificent works inspired by his journeys.
Image: akg-images/picture-alliance
Renaissance icon
Dürer is the most important German representative of the European Renaissance. He made a name for himself as a graphic artist, painter, mathematician and art theorist. Already during his lifetime, he was known throughout Europe. And his fame continues to this day. Contributing to his star status, Dürer liked to depict himself — for example in this "Self-Portrait in a Fur Coat" (1500).
Image: akg-images/picture-alliance
Turning away from the Church
Dürer first achieved fame in the late Middle Ages with religious motifs. Prior to the Renaissance, they offered the only opportunity to be artistically active. Between 1496 and 1498 he created the woodcut series "Apocalypse," which made him famous. This copperplate engraving, "Adam and Eve" (1504), which the city of Aachen borrowed from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, is world-famous.
Image: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
A star on the road
Five hundred years ago, the painter traveled through the Rhineland and to the Netherlands, where he encountered new subjects. For example, this "Young Woman in traditional Dutch Costume" (1521). On the way, he also stopped in Aachen. That is why the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum in Aachen is commemorating his travels with the exhibition "Dürer was here. A journey becomes legend."
Image: ational Gallery of Art Washington DC
Observing the world
The Renaissance was characterized by scientific and artistic discoveries. Thus, Dürer was fascinated by a (presumably stuffed) walrus that he got to see in the province of Zeeland. In the description of "Head of a Walrus" he claims that the animal was a good eight meters long. A slight exaggeration: walruses usually reach only 3.5 meters.
Image: The Trustees of the British Museum
The everyday life of an artist on the road
As "The Lying Dog" (1951) illustrates, Dürer occupied himself on his journey not only with newly discovered motifs, but also with everyday ones. The exhibition also features his travel diary and historical documents — one of the earliest surviving journeys ever described by an artist himself.
Image: The Trustees of the British Museum
People take center stage
The artists of the European Renaissance focused on people and their everyday lives. "The Imperial Captain Felix Hungersperg" is a print from the year 1520. Dürer captured his model with great attention to detail, down to the fine curls of the beard.
Image: Albertina Vienna
Between religion and science
"St. Jerome in the Study" (1521) meditates on death and biological processes. Many of Dürer's peers were concerned with the shift from the ecclesiastical to the earthly. Lucas Cranach the Elder, Hans Holbein, and Jan Brueghel the Elder were some of the artists whom Dürer met or inspired on his journey.
Image: Leonard de Selva/Bridgeman Images
The power of money
For the longest time, only the nobility and the Church could afford to commission paintings. But in Dürer's time, there were increasingly wealthy citizens who had their portraits painted. This "Portrait of a Man" (1521) is probably of Rodrigo Fernandes de Almada, the secretary of a Portuguese trading post in Antwerp. Dürer's journey was a successful one and brought him many lucrative commissions.
Image: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Boston
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This article was adapted from the German by Brenda Haas
