Michelangelo drawing linked to Sistine Chapel sells for record price
A previously unknown work by Michelangelo linked to the ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel has been sold at auction in New York, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The drawing, executed in red chalk, was identified by specialists at Christie’s as a preparatory study for the foot of the Libyan Sibyl on the eastern section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The work came to light after its owner submitted a photograph through Christie’s online Request an Auction Estimate service, unaware of its historical significance.
At the auction held at Rockefeller Center, the drawing sold for $27.2 million. The previous record stood at $24.3 million and was set in Paris in 2022.
The bidding lasted around 45 minutes. Experts note that this is the only previously undocumented study for the Sistine Chapel ceiling ever to appear at public auction and one of only about ten drawings by Michelangelo known to have remained in private hands.
The attribution was made by Giada Damen, a specialist in Christie’s Old Master Drawings department, who established the drawing’s direct connection to the figure of the Libyan Sibyl.
The sale took place as part of the Old Master and British Drawings auction, which also featured works by Rembrandt, Titian, and William Blake.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a portrait by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt was sold for a record-breaking price at auction.
