The sketch, created by the great Italian master over 500 years ago, was presented at the "Old Masters Paintings" auction. Initially, Christie's experts expected the work to fetch up to two million dollars, but the final price turned out to be ten times higher than that estimate.
According to the auction house, the drawing is a sketch of the foot of the Libyan Sybil—a pagan prophetess depicted by Michelangelo in the fresco of the Sistine Chapel.
The owner of the drawing, who wished to remain anonymous, sent a photograph to Christie's asking for an appraisal of his artwork, unaware of its high value. It is known only that he lives on the Pacific coast of the USA and inherited the drawing from his grandmother.
According to him, this sketch has been passed down in his family since his ancestors lived in Europe, starting from the late 18th century.
Andrew Fletcher, head of the Old Masters department at Christie's, called this discovery one of the most significant events in his career.
Michelangelo created this small sketch in red chalk presumably in 1511 or 1512, when he was preparing for the painting of the second part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Specialist Giada Damen studied the sketch using the "infrared reflectography" method and found traces of other drawings on its reverse side that resemble Michelangelo's works. By comparing it with another well-known drawing by the master from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, she reached a definitive conclusion that she was looking at a previously unknown work by the great artist.
Although works by old masters often reach enormous sums at auctions, this price is not a record. In 2017, Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Salvator Mundi," depicting Jesus Christ, was sold for 450 million dollars at an auction in New York.
In November 2025, the portrait of Elizabeth Lederer, painted by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, was sold for 236.4 million dollars. At the same time, a record was set for works by female artists: a surrealist painting by Frida Kahlo was auctioned off for 54.7 million dollars.
