This work of art is older than the United States. 

Unlike most apartment makeovers, Dr. Luke Budworth’s unveiled not mold and decay — but pieces of a 400-year-old drawing.

The 29-year-old Leeds University medical researcher was giving his UK flat’s kitchen a refresh last year when contractors noticed a mysterious infrastructural situation underneath his cupboard. 

“When they found it I knew there was a parallel piece of wood on the other side of the chimney that could have the same thing,” Budworth told SWNS of the humble moment in which a work of national significance was uncovered in his home. 

Budworth had previously noticed the wonky bit of wall but “I never thought anything of it before, I thought they were pipes behind it” he said. 

His unit in Micklegate, York, had been “a million different things over the years,” so the fact that part of the wall wasn’t perfectly even hardly seemed notable. 

As soon as the contractors pointed it out, though, Budworth became captivated by the corner. 

“I got really excited, grabbed my tools and started ripping it off,” he detailed. “At first I thought it was old Victorian wallpaper, but soon I could see it was actually drawn onto the wall of the building next door — so it’s older than this building itself.”

Since that profound moment of renovation-born discovery, Budworth has uncovered multiple other bits of the ancient frieze that had previously spent an unknown amount of time boarded up below the ceiling on either side of his chimney.

Experts believe the paintings date back to 1660 and depict scenes from the 1635 book “Emblems” by the poet Francis Quarles. 

The heritage organization Historic England believes the work may be quite significant. 

“We think they are of national significance and in the context of York, where domestic wall paintings are quite rare, they are of special interest,” the group’s senior architectural investigator for the region said, according to SWNS.

Budworth hopes his story will inspire others to “start looking at their own walls suspiciously.”