An unpublished drawing representing the first known nude of the Florentine genius Michelangelo and whose value is estimated at 30 million euros, is auctioned today Wednesday, May 18 in Paris by Christie's.
To discover
Discover the “Best of the Goncourt Prize” collection
See also Michelangelo's Unfinished
Pietà
reveals its many secrets
"
There are fewer than ten drawings by Michelangelo still in private hands,
" Hélène Rihal, director of the old drawings department at Christie's, told AFP when the sale of this early work of the genius was announced. of the Italian Renaissance (1475-1564).
Auctions will start at 2:30 p.m.
Read alsoMichelangelo 's
Pietà Bandini
restored in public in Florence
Dating from the end of the 15th century, this work has long "
escaped the attention of specialists
" and testifies to a "
beautiful state of preservation
", underlined the auction house.
The drawing made in pen and brown ink was put on sale in 1907 at the Hôtel Drouot, in Paris, under the classification "
School of Michelangelo
", before being attributed to the master in 2019 only, as part of an inventory for a French private collection.
In September 2019, it was declared a "
national treasure
" for French heritage, which prohibits any exit from national territory for thirty months and gives the French State and its museums the opportunity to buy it back.
No offers having been made during this period, the drawing was exhibited in Hong Kong and then in New York to be presented to collectors before the sale.
This sketch, the size of an A4 sheet, seems to be inspired by a fresco by the painter Masaccio (
The Baptism of the Neophytes
) and illustrates the interest of Michelangelo, sculptor and painter, for the representation of the male body.