Art find of the year: Michelangelo's foot of the Libyan Sibyl
Michelangelo's rediscovered preparatory drawing for the foot of the Libyan Sibyl in the Sistine Chapel made $27.2 million (€23.02 million) at Christie's in New York.
The art find of the year came through Christie's request – an auction estimate online portal.
An unsuspecting owner sent in a photograph of a drawing.
It turned out to be a previously unknown red chalk study by Michelangelo for a foot of the Libyan Sibyl in the Sistine Chapel. A black chalk study for a leg with bent knee is on the back.
Christie's specialist Giada Damen received the unsolicited photograph and identified the subject as an original drawing dating to around 1511-12. It was made in preparation for the right foot of the monumental figure at the far east end of the ceiling at the Sistine Chapel.
After a 45-minute bidding battle at a New York sale of Old Master and British drawings, it was knocked down for $27.2 million (€23.02 million). This was a record price for a Michelangelo drawing.
The auction in February brought multiple bidders in the room, on the phone and online. The final bid was nearly 20 times the low estimate. Nice Payday.
