New world record for a work by Michelangelo at auction: it happened at Christie’s in New York, where a rare study for the Libyan Sibyl from the Sistine Chapel sold for $27.2 million (23.10 million euros). And to think that this figure was the result of a rocambolic discovery: in fact, the whole thing started from a photograph sent almost by chance through Christie’s online portal to request an estimate. That turned into one of the most important discoveries in recent years in the field of drawings by the great masters. In fact, an unwitting owner brought to the auction house’s attention a sheet that, after in-depth analysis, was identified as an unpublished study by Michelangelo Buonarroti (Caprese, 1475 - Rome, 1564) for the Sistine Chapel, one of the most famous painting cycles in art history. The newly rediscovered drawing sold for the extraordinary sum of $27.2 million, which exceeded the minimum estimate ($1.5-2 million, or €1.3-1.75 million) by almost twenty times and setting a new world record for a work by the artist at auction.
The result broke the previous record, achieved by another Michelangelo drawing sold at Christie’s in Paris in 2022: the work had sold for 23.162 million euros (currency depends on auction venue), but with the dollar exchange rate at the time the dollar figure was 24.3 million. Today’s sale confirms not only the exceptional rarity of the Florentine master’s autograph folios, but also the market’s growing interest in works on paper of the highest quality and with an unusual provenance and history of discovery.
The adjudication came at the end of about forty-five minutes of tight bidding in Christie’s room at Rockefeller Center. The drawing attracted collectors in the room, telephone-connected bidders, and online participants, in a competition that made clear the awareness that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Indeed, it is the only study for the Sistine Chapel vault ever to appear on the market without previous records and one of the very few drawings by Michelangelo still in private hands. According to scholars, only about ten of the artist’s approximately six hundred known sheets today belong to private collections.
Of the six hundred or so drawings by Michelangelo that have come down to us, representing only a fraction of the thousands that the artist must have produced over the course of his career, this sheet is among an extremely small group. It is in fact one of about fifty studies directly related to the decoration of the Sistine Chapel, commissioned by Pope Julius II and executed between 1508 and 1512. The drawing is executed in sanguine and is a study of the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl, one of the monumental figures placed on the eastern side of the vault, famous for its powerful anatomical rendering and dynamic pose.
The attribution was made by Giada Damen, a specialist in Christie’s Old Master Drawings department, who recognized in the sheet the stylistic, technical and formal characteristics that can be confidently traced to the hand of Michelangelo. The study shows an almost sculptural attention to the bony and muscular structure of the foot, consistent with the way the artist approached the human body, the result of an intense practice of drawing from life and a deep knowledge of anatomy.
Andrew Fletcher, Global Head of Old Masters at Christie’s, who made the winning bid on behalf of a client, commented on the event, emphasizing its exceptional nature. “In my more than 23 years in the industry,” he said, “I have had the privilege of witnessing many wonderful moments related to the great masters of the past, but today I surpassed them all. This was an exceptional work with a wonderful story. We had several bidders in the room, on the phone and online because this was probably the only opportunity for a collector to acquire a study of what is probably the greatest work of art ever made. I am very proud of my team for recognizing this work for what it is and bringing it to this point.”
The discovery and sale of Michelangelo’s study is a case in point of how technology and digital channels are transforming the way exceptionally important works emerge. A simple online submission, initiated by an owner unaware of the historical and artistic value of the sheet in his possession, led to the rediscovery of a key piece of the genesis of the Sistine Chapel, bringing the creative process of one of the greatest artists of all time back into the spotlight.
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| Rare Michelangelo study for Sistine Chapel sold at Christie's: record |
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