The Hotline Pink Thrift Shop in Kitty Hawk, N.C. had a wood engraving print for sale between ten and 50 dollars, but a volunteer at the store named Wendy Hawkins realized that it could be worth a lot more. So, she walked down the street to the Seaside Art Gallery to consult with the gallery’s owner, Melanie Smith.
Smith went to work, and soon they learned that the piece was part of a series of illustrations that depicted Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy. Originally commissioned by the Italian government to create watercolor paintings illustrating Alighieri’s opus, the artist loved the work so much he wouldn’t it go. Instead, he reproduced the paintings into 35 separate blocks – one of which is what Hawkins found. Once Hawkins and Smith were sure of the work’s authenticity, it sold to a couple for $1,200 with proceeds going to a non-profit shelter.
The engraving’s artist? Salvador Dali. Guess I should start thrift shopping more.
– Tiffany Wade, Photographer