Tiny Michelangelo Sketch of a Foot Sells for More than $27 Million, an Auction Record

Tiny Michelangelo sketch of a foot sells for more than $27 million, an auction record

When the owner of a tiny sketch sent a photo of it to an auction house’s online valuation portal, they had no idea of its significance.

Drawing of Foot Recently Discovered as Authentic Michelangelo Work Sells for $27.2 M. at Christie’s, Sets New Record

Last March, a person who now wishes to remain anonymous submitted a photograph of a small, framed drawing of a foot to Christie’s online “Request an Auction Estimate” portal. Just under a year later—and after months of authentication research—the work, newly identified as an authentic drawing by Michelangelo, sold for $27.2 million on a $1.5 million–$2 million estimate. Christie’s specialists determined that the work was a previously unknown s…

Michelangelo Sistine Chapel sketch sells for $27.2M, setting new auction record

A recently discovered Michelangelo drawing tied to the Sistine Chapel has sold at auction for more than $27 million, shattering its $1.5 million to $2 million estimate and setting a new auction record for the artist. The drawing—a study for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl—is the first unrecorded study of the famed ceiling ever to come to auction, and one of only about 10 Michelangelo drawings known to be in private hands. On Thursday, the ske…