A tiny chalk drawing of a foot by famous Italian artist Michelangelo has sold for an incredible $27.2 million. The sketch, only 13 centimetres long, is believed to have been made over 500 years ago, between 1511 and 1512.
Experts say Michelangelo drew the foot while preparing to paint the Libyan Sibyl, a figure on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The drawing was recently sold by the auction house Christie’s and is one of only about ten Michelangelo sketches still in private hands.
The seller, who lives in the United States, has kept his name secret but explained that the artwork had been in his family since the 1700s.
To prove the sketch was real, specialists used a tool called infrared reflectography, which works like an X-ray for art. This showed hidden images on the back of the paper, matching Michelangelo’s known style.
They also compared the drawing to one in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and confirmed it was indeed by the famous artist.
Andrew Fletcher from Christie’s said finding the drawing was one of the greatest moments of his career.
