This is a new record for the artist's works at auction, reported the auction press service.
The price was almost 20 times higher than the lower estimate, and the bidding lasted about 45 minutes.
This is a preparatory sketch, made in red chalk, depicting a foot - a detail for the figure of the Libyan Sibyl from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
The drawing demonstrates how Michelangelo studied body tension, balance, and the pressure of the fingers on the floor, because in the fresco the Sibyl seems to freeze in motion, leaning almost her entire body on the tips of her feet.
Detail of the Libyan Sibyl, Michelangelo Buonarroti (Caprese 1475-1564 Rome), Sistine Chapel, Vatican
Experts emphasize that the sketch shows traces of creative search; the artist first outlined the shape of the heel with a thin line, and then enhanced it with a more energetic stroke, which is a characteristic feature of his working method.
It should be noted that the drawing has never been published or put on the market before. For centuries it was in a private collection and was unknown to scholars. After research by Christie's, leading experts unanimously confirmed the authorship of Michelangelo on both the front and back of the sheet.
In total, about 600 drawings by Michelangelo have survived, while he created thousands during his lifetime. Almost all of the known sheets are now in museums, with only about ten in private hands.
Michelangelo Buonarroti's sketch sold for $27,2 million
Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo worked on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, commissioned by Pope Julius II. The ceiling, measuring about 530 square meters, includes scenes from the Book of Genesis, figures of prophets and sibyls, and the famous nude youths, the “Others.”
The master created numerous preparatory sketches from life, increasingly using red chalk — a more complex but expressive material for conveying the human body.
Recall, a drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti and a letter from his direct descendant Cosimo Buonarroti sold at auction Christie's in New York for $201,600.
See also:
Angel's face painted over in Roman basilica because of resemblance to Giorgia Malone
Sotheby's to auction nearly 2000-year-old Fayum portrait with unexpectedly modern painting style