500-year-old engraving sells for £26,500 after it was found by boy, 11

A 16th century German Renaissance engraving found by an 11-year-old boy on a rubbish dump has sold at auction for £26,500.

Eagle-eyed Mat Winter spotted the black-and-white print with bags of rubbish being thrown out by a woman at a tip.

He asked her if he could have it and she agreed so he took the A4-sized picture back to his home in Cranbrook, Kent.

Mat kept the engraving, entitled 'Knight, Death and the Devil' in a cupboard for 13 years before having it valued earlier this year.

It turned out to be the work of German-born Albrecht Dürer, a painter and printmaker regarded as one of the most gifted artists of all time.

Completed in 1513, it is one of Dürer's most famous and influential works. Dürer was born in 1471 in Nuremberg, when the city was part of the Holy Roman Empire and became a key figure of the Northern Renaissance.

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He knew renowned Italian artists including Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci and created works for Emperor Maximilian I, King of the Romans.

Mat, now aged 24, said: 'I've had an eye for antiques since I was 10 years old. I used to go to the local rubbish tip to see what I could find. I discovered some great stuff.

'One day a lady had some rubbish in her car including the print. I thought it looked interesting and asked if I could have it.

'She was more then happy to give it to me because she wanted it to go to someone rather than just throwing it away.

'I was 11 at the time and very happy she let me take it. It's been tucked away in a cupboard at home with all my other antique finds for the last 13 years.

'Recently, I decided to get it checked out to see if it was as special as it looked. I was amazed to find out it was.'

Including a buyer's premium, the bidder - who is a private collector in Germany - paid £33,390 for the engraving, which was listed with a guide price range of £10,000-£20,000. 

Jim Spencer, who is director of the auction house in Lichfield, Staffordshire, said there had been interest in the engraving 'from all over the world'.

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

A key feature proving the engraving is the work of Dürer is a faint scratch across the head of the knight's horse.

Mr Spencer added: 'I checked our example and the scratch was present. It disappears on later printings, so this sealed it. It was period and authentic.

'It's the most important print I've ever catalogued and offered for sale.'