A study sketch by Renaissance master Michelangelo sold for $27.2 million (approximately 39.9 billion won) at auction.
According to CNN and other outlets on the 8th, a foot sketch drawn by Michelangelo in red chalk sold for $27.2 million at Christie's New York auction on the 5th—roughly 20 times its low estimate. The buyer's identity was not disclosed.
The price surpasses the previous record for a Michelangelo work. The artist's prior highest sale was a nude sketch that fetched $24.3 million (approximately 35.6 billion won) at Christie's Paris in 2022.
The foot sketch is one of 50 preparatory studies Michelangelo created for the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Slightly larger than a palm, the work depicts a foot with its heel raised slightly off the ground, with shadow outlines beneath. The sketch reportedly resembles the foot of the Libyan Sibyl in the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Christie's confirmed its authenticity at the owner's request.
Most of Michelangelo's sketches have been lost over time. Some were burned by Michelangelo himself, while others were destroyed by early collectors or simply damaged during the working process. Only two other sketches related to the Libyan Sibyl are known to survive—one at the Ashmolean Museum in Britain and another at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.