A previously unknown sketch by Renaissance master Michelangelo, depicting a foot, has been sold at auction for $23 million (£16.9 million), more than ten times its initial estimate.
Christie’s auction house said experts have identified the red chalk drawing as a study of the foot of the Libyan Sibyl, a figure later painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The work is believed to date back to around 1511–1512, when the artist was preparing the second phase of the iconic ceiling fresco.
According to Christie’s, the discovery came after the artwork’s unsuspecting owner submitted a photograph of the drawing simply to obtain an auction estimate, only to learn of its extraordinary value. Andrew Fletcher, global head of Christie’s Old Masters Department, called the find “one of the most memorable moments” of his career.
The anonymous seller, who lives on the west coast of the United States, told Christie’s that he inherited the drawing from his grandmother. He said the artwork had remained in his family in Europe since the late 18th century.
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Giada Damen, a specialist in Christie’s Old Master Drawings Department, carried out detailed analysis using infrared reflectography. The examination revealed additional sketches on the reverse side of the sheet, also consistent with Michelangelo’s style. Damen then compared the drawing with an authenticated Michelangelo work held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, concluding that the sketch was indeed an original.
While multimillion-dollar art sales are not uncommon, the result places the sketch among notable recent auction highlights. In 2017, a 500-year-old painting of Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci sold in New York for a record $450 million.
In November 2025, a portrait of Elisabeth Lederer by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt fetched $236.4 million, while a surrealist painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sold for $54.7 million, setting a new auction record for an artwork by a woman.
#With inputs from BBC