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Art World Stunned by 'Exciting' Altdorfer Discovery
5 Nov
Summary
- Albrecht Altdorfer's rare 1520 landscape painting to be auctioned.
- Artwork unseen publicly for 70 years, held in private Swiss collection.
- Experts hail discovery as 'one of the most exciting imaginable'.
An exceptionally rare landscape painting by Albrecht Altdorfer, dating from around 1520, is emerging for auction in London on December 9th. This significant artwork, titled A Thickly Wooded Landscape With a Rainbow Behind the Trees and a Distant Outcrop to the Right Beneath a Cloud-Laden Sky, has been held in a private Swiss collection and unseen by the public for seven decades.
Experts are calling the discovery one of the most exciting imaginable, noting that only two other pure landscape oil paintings by Altdorfer were previously known. The painting, measuring approximately 23cm by 20cm, is expected to sell for an estimated £3m to £5m, marking the first time a known work by the artist has been offered for sale since 1980.
Albrecht Altdorfer, born in 1480, is considered one of the most significant German Renaissance artists after Albrecht Dürer. Initially known for drawings and engravings, he later turned to landscape paintings around 1511, inspired by his travels. His work is characterized by an intense mood and expressive forms, often incorporating natural motifs.
The painting's journey to auction includes its acquisition by the current owner's father in 1957 from the aristocratic collection of the counts of Harrach in Vienna. Before the sale, it will be exhibited at Sotheby's New York and then Sotheby's London.
