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Presumed Dürer drawing "The Virgin and Child"
Photo:
Agnew's Gallery
The artwork sold for $30 at the flea market.
A London auction house now estimates its value at ten million dollars (equivalent to around 8.7 million euros): A previously unknown drawing by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer entitled "The Virgin and Child" is currently one of the most renowned auction pieces at the Agnews Gallery.
According to estimates by the auction house, it was probably completed in 1503 and is one of the rare new discoveries by the artist.
According to information from the US television station CNN, the Boston art dealer Clifford Schorer became aware of the picture.
He forgot to get a favor for a friend's party, he told CNN.
On the way there he made a detour to a bookstore.
The bookseller told him about a friend who had bought a Dürer drawing at a flea market for $30.
Can he take a look?
"Something extremely exciting"
According to Schorer, Schorer had little hope; unknown drawings by Dürer appeared once every hundred years.
However, when he saw her, he realized "that I am at the beginning of something extremely exciting".
Three years of research followed, Schorer met with various art experts to verify the work - and came to the conclusion that the drawing is genuine and the value was "in the eight-digit range".
The drawing shows Mary sitting with the baby Jesus on her lap.
The child presents his bare buttocks to the viewer.
Maria supports it, her flowing hair falls over her dress.
At the foot of the picture you can see the artist's initials "AD" superimposed on top of each other.
The figures are drawn in black ink on paper.
The work measures approximately 16 by 16 centimeters.
During his career, Dürer repeatedly dealt with the motif of the Virgin Mary and produced several copperplate engravings, woodcuts, paintings and drawings.
However, according to the auction house, only a few completed drawings of the Virgin Mary still exist.
The image is also in "excellent condition" with only "a small wormhole on the surface."
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