$30 Sketch Worth Millions

A man, who wishes to keep his identity anonymous, was perusing the items at an estate sale in Massachusetts in 2016 when he discovered a drawing on linen for $30. It is now believed that the sketch was drawn by the hand of a sixteenth century Renaissance master.

The sketch was being sold by the daughters of the architect Jean-Paul Carlhain after his death. It had been passed down through the family, originally obtained by a family member who bought it in France. The Art Newspaper believes it was purchased in 1919 and kept by the family until the estate sale. Carlhain died in 2012 and his widow died a few years later.

Both the buyer and those running the estate sale noticed the "A.D." at the bottom of the sketch, though neither believed it was a genuine original work from Albrecht Durer. The mark is well known in the art world and is sometimes added by imitators. Both the sellers and buyer assumed it was just a reproduction. The man bought it simply because he liked the elegant drawing of a mother with her baby.

The drawing is of the virgin Mary, somewhat awkwardly holding a nude baby Jesus while seated on a bench.

A previously unknown Albrecht Durer work had not been discovered since the 1970's, though experts now believe it to be real. Scholars have examined the ink sketch and agree that it is authentic and was perhaps drawn in preparation for a better-known painting Durer created in 1506.

The estimated value of the sketch that was purchased for $30 is guessed to be $50 million.

The Art Newspaper says the drawing was unveiled to the world at the Agnews Gallery in London after sitting in the buyer's home for most of the last six years.

Recognition of the sketch's authenticity began when Jane McAusland discovered a watermark consistent with more than 200 known Durer works. It was also discovered that the "AD" had been signed with the same ink that was used in the drawing, a habit of the artist.

Christof Metzger, a curator at the Albertina Museum in Vienna who has specialized knowledge of Durer's work, joined the investigation. After examining the piece, he declared it to be authentic. His verdict was supported by Giulia Bartrum, a Durer specialist who formerly worked at the British Museum.

Though the drawing's journey is yet unknown, a likely theory is that it was among the Durer works acquired by the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II in 1588. It could then have travelled to France in the collection of Count Hubert de Pourtales in the 1800's. The family who unknowingly sold the authentic Durer for $30 is known to have bought four Durer pieces from this collection in 1919.

Albrecht Durer was a German painter who lived from 1471 to 1528. He was an apprentice to his father, a goldsmith, but also a local painter named Michael Wolgemut who created woodcut illustrations for books. Durer transformed printmaking into its own medium of art. Durer was fascinated with Italy and spent three years there learning about the Italian Renaissance.

He earned his status as a Renaissance man by not only revolutionizing printmaking but also as a writer. Though only the first was published during Durer's lifetime, he wrote Four Books of Human Proportion. He also wrote a book which taught geometric theory.

His paintings and sketches ranged from religious scenes to nudes and animals.

The lucky and anonymous bargain shopper has already been given $100,000 advance and will see far more once the sale at Agnews is concluded in December.