The 11-Year-Old Boy Who Rescued A Rare Renaissance Print From A Dump
Mat WinterMat Winter in 2024, when he finally had the print appraised.
In 2011, 11-year-old Mat Winter noticed something at a dump site in England that caught his eye. That keen eye — and a willingness to ask questions — eventually led to one of the most exciting art discoveries of the decade.
While exploring the dump, Winter noticed an ornate engraving in a heap of refuse in the back of a woman’s car. Drawn to its intricate details, he asked if he could take it home. The woman agreed, having no idea she was giving away a Renaissance masterpiece.
“It’s got so much detail to it, and something told me that’s worth something but I never really knew what,” Winter later recalled. For 13 years, the mysterious artwork hung in his home, its true identity remaining a mystery.
Then, in 2024, a now 24-year-old Winter finally decided to have the piece appraised. He brought it to Jim Spencer, the director of Rare Book Auctions in Staffordshire, England. Spencer immediately recognized it as something extraordinary.
“When the vendor said it had been rescued from a tip, I didn’t expect much,” Spencer admitted. “I felt a shiver of excitement as soon as I looked upon this print… and I was straight on a train to the British Museum.”
At the British Museum, researchers meticulously examined every detail of the engraving. After comparing it to three other examples, experts confirmed that Winter had discovered an authentic work by Albrecht Dürer, the legendary German Renaissance artist. The piece was identified as Knight, Death and the Devil (1513), one of Dürer’s three celebrated “master prints.”
Rare Book AuctionsJim Spencer of Rare Book Auctions holding the Renaissance print.
The authentication hinged on a crucial detail: a faint scratch across the horse’s head. This imperfection had been accidentally made on the original copper plate before printing and was later removed, making early impressions like Winter’s particularly valuable.
“Dürer’s earlier, more Gothic woodcuts were revolutionary,” Spencer explained, “but his copper engravings were even more amazing, awe-inspiring, almost superhuman — as this engraving shows.”
The discovery represented the most significant find of Spencer’s career. Despite being mounted on cardboard around 1900 (which affected its value), the print’s remarkable condition and clarity made it exceptionally desirable to collectors.
The piece headed to auction on Sept. 19, 2024, with conservative estimates falling between £10,000 and £20,000. However, the final result far exceeded expectations. The 500-year-old masterpiece sold for $44,800 (£33,390) to a German collector — the ultimate testament to Winter’s childhood instinct that his dump discovery was truly special.
