Oscar Wilde key sells for £15,000 ahead of April exhibition
![Oscar Wilde key sells for £15,000 ahead of April exhibition](https://gallery.mailchimp.com/91cb73bca688114fefed773f2/images/4816dc15-dd29-4e25-911a-73e8e628995a.jpg)
The key to Oscar Wilde’s jail cell has been sold for £15,000, three times its estimated value.
The key, used to unlock the Reading Gaol cell occupied by Wilde between 1895-1897, was put on auction in London yesterday by Sotheby’s, who expected it to sell for £4,000-6000.
Meanwhile, Oscar Wilde’s jail cell door is set to be exhibited alongside a full-length portrait of a 27-year-old Wilde at London’s Tate Britain in its Queer British Art 1861-1967 show.
The gallery’s director, Alex Farquharson, said: “It’s an extraordinary image of Wilde on the brink of fame, before imprisonment destroyed his health and reputation.
“Viewing it next to the door of his jail cell will be a powerful experience that captures the triumph and tragedy of his career.”
The exhibition will open in April 2017.