Drawings by Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti that have survived to this day are rare, with a few in private collections and even fewer offered on the auction market. On May 18, however, Christie's Paris has the honor of offering one such drawing in an auction of paintings, drawings and sculptures by Old Masters and 19th century artists.
Related: Is this the Earliest Drawing by Michelangelo?
The drawing was last auctioned in 1907 as a work by Michelangelo's school and has since been in French private ownership. In 2019 it was to be auctioned again and was handed over to Christie's for this purpose and appraised by Furio Rinaldi, then the auction house's specialist for old master drawings. Rinaldi concluded that it was an authentic work by Michelangelo himself, a view confirmed by art historian and Michelangelo expert Paul Joannides.
The drawing can be attributed to the early work of Michelangelo, who lived and worked in Florence in the late 15th century. His daily work also included studying his predecessors, including Masaccio's frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. For the present study, Michelangelo chose The Baptism of the Neophytes from this cycle of images, more precisely a man who wraps his arms around himself. Michelangelo depicted this man completely undressed, which is why this may be Michelangelo's first known nude drawing. He later added two more figures in the background, but they are unrelated to Masaccio's fresco.
Related: 6 Facts You Didn’t Know About Masaccio
The French state classified the work of art as a national treasure following the sensational revaluation, halting sales for 30 months. This export restriction has now been lifted and the work will be called up next month at an estimated price of around 30 million euros ($32.6 million), poised to set a new record for the artist.
"Not since the discovery in 2001 of a drawing by Michelangelo at Castle Howard, now at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, has a previously unknown drawing of greater beauty and importance by one of the major figures in art history re-emerged at auction," said Stijn Alsteens, International Head of Department - Old Master Drawings. "The drawing is one of the best of fewer than ten works on paper by Michelangelo still in private hands, and will become a touchstone for every discussion of the early part of the artist’s long career."
Related: The 10 Most Famous Works of Art and Where to Find Them The current record for a work by Michelangelo Buonarroti was set on July 4, 2000, at Christie's London, as a study sketch of the Risen Christ selling for £8.1 million ($12.3 million).
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