A naked man, standing, framed by two other characters in the background.
This is the protagonist of Michelangelo's work, sold by the Christie's Paris
auction house
for
23 million euros:
a
record
for a drawing by the Italian Renaissance master.
The auction at Christie's Paris opened today around 2.30pm.
According to experts,
the drawing made in his youth is the first nude attributed to Michelangelo Buonarroti
(1475-1564).
This sale beats the record set by another Michelangelo drawing, the 'Risen Christ', sold in July 2000 by Christie's London for 9.5 million euros.
In the world "
there are fewer than ten drawings by Michelangelo still in the hands of private individuals
", said Hélène Rihal, director of the antique design department at Christie's, interviewed by France Presse shortly before the Paris auction. In 1907, Michelangelo's drawing was already sold at the Hotel Drouot in Paris, with the classification 'School more recently, in 2019, it was instead attributed to the hand of the master during an inventory for a French private collection. In 2019 it was declared by France "national treasure"; months and gives the State and the museums the right of first refusal on the purchase. The drawing of an A4 sheet size seems to be inspired by a fresco by Masaccio 'The Baptism of the neophytes', in Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence
. the moment,the identity of the buyer.
ANSA agency
Rare drawing by Michelangelo at Christie's - Arte auction
In May in Paris with an estimate of around 30 million euros (ANSA)