A sketch created over five hundred years ago was auctioned at the "Old Masters Paintings" auction. Initially, Christie's specialists estimated its value at two million dollars, but the auction price turned out to be ten times higher than that amount.
This drawing depicts the foot of the pagan prophetess Sibyl of Libya, who was represented by Michelangelo in the fresco of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
According to the auction house, the owner of the drawing, unaware of its value, sent a photo to Christie's asking for an appraisal.
The anonymous owner, who lives on the Pacific coast of the USA, inherited this sketch from his grandmother. He noted that the drawing has been kept in his family since the late 18th century, when his ancestors lived in Europe.
Andrew Fletcher, head of the Old Masters department at Christie's, shared that this discovery was one of the most significant moments in his career.
The sketch was made in red chalk, presumably in 1511 or 1512, when Michelangelo was preparing for the painting of the second half of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Specialist Giada Damen, who studied the sketch using infrared reflectography, found traces of other drawings on its reverse side, which may also have belonged to Michelangelo.
By comparing this sketch with another one in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, she concluded that she was looking at a previously unknown work by the great master.
Although works by outstanding artists often reach astronomical prices at auctions, this sketch is still far from the records set in recent years. For example, Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Salvator Mundi" was sold in 2017 for 450 million dollars.
In November 2025, a portrait of Elizabeth Lederer by Gustav Klimt was auctioned for 236.4 million dollars.
Also, last November, a record was set among works by female artists: a surrealist piece by Frida Kahlo was sold for 54.7 million dollars.
