A recently discovered drawing by Renaissance artist Michelangelo was sold this Thursday for $27.2 million at an auction in the United States, setting a new record for any work by the Italian master. It is a small sanguine sketch—a technique using red-ochre pigment—that depicts a foot and was identified as the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl, one of the figures on the east end of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The work was auctioned by Christie's, based in New York, after a 45-minute bidding that pushed the final price to nearly 20 times its lowest estimate. An expert later confirmed its direct connection to the Libyan Sibyl. 'It was an exceptional piece with a wonderful story,' said Andrew Fletcher, Global Head of the Old Masters Department at Christie's, in a statement. The previous record for a Michelangelo work was for a sketch of a nude man accompanied by two other figures, sold for $24.3 million at an auction in Paris. Discovered in November 2025, the drawing was expected to fetch at least two million dollars. Created between 1511 and 1512, it is considered one of the few surviving preparatory studies linked to the Libyan Sibyl. The buyer's identity was not revealed. The drawing is one of nearly 50 preparatory studies Michelangelo made for the Sistine Chapel, painted between 1508 and 1512. According to Christie's, only about ten of the artist's drawings remain in private hands today, which explains the high interest the piece generated. The auction house identified the sketch as an original after its previous owner sent a photograph via Christie's online portal to request an appraisal. Only two other sketches related to this figure are currently preserved in museums in Oxford and New York.
