An “Unbelievably Rare” 16th-Century Italian Dish Discovered in a Drawer Sells for $ 1.7 Million

(CNN) – An “incredibly rare” 16th-century plate depicting the biblical story of Samson and Delilah, discovered hidden in a drawer, sold at auction for more than $ 1.7 million, ten times its original estimate.

The plate, which measures 27 centimeters in diameter, is believed to have been made by Nicola da Urbino between 1520 and 1523.

The majolica, glazed Italian earthenware, was expected to fetch between £ 80,000 and £ 120,000 (US $ 109,000 and US $ 163,000), but ended up selling for a record £ 1,263,000 (US $ 1,721,000) during an online auction. this Wednesday.

Offers from potential buyers multiplied by phone and email, as the event was broadcast over the internet.

The winning bid came from an anonymous source.

The artifact was one of more than 400 items in the Lowood House, a large country house located in the Borders region of Scotland. Paintings, furniture, books, silver and works of art were part of the event organized by the British auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull.

The dish was part of a larger auction of content from Lowood House, in the Borders region of Scotland. Credit: Lyon & Turnbull

The firm’s European ceramics specialist found the dish hidden in a drawer and recognized it as a “rare piece of exceptional quality,” a Lyon & Turnbull spokeswoman told CNN on Thursday.

Describing the exquisite dish in the firm website, Celia Curnow, specialist in majolica, said that the potter, who signed his work Nicola da Urbino but whose real name is believed to be Nicola di Gabriele Sbraghe, is recognized as “the master of the ‘istoriato’ style of majolica decoration in Italy at the beginning of the 16th century “and” the consensus describes it as the ‘Raphael of majolica painting’ “.

Curnow said the plate is closely related to a “monogrammed plate dated 1521” in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Gavin Strang, managing director and head of private collections at Lyon & Turnbull, was on the dais of the Edinburgh auction house when the plate was sold.

Strang told CNN on Thursday that the atmosphere during the auction was “electric” and that “there was a round of applause when it was sold.”

Strang said the dish is “incredibly rare” and that majolica experts had described it as a “once in a lifetime find … a true holy grail moment.”

Bids started just below the lowest estimate, but the sale quickly gained momentum when a bidder increased its bid “in £ 50,000 increments to get things moving,” Strang said.

“When something as unique as this comes on the market, it really just depends on who is feeling the bravest or has the deepest pockets.”