Discovery and Provenance
A seemingly unassuming scribble found on the back of a frame has turned out to be a hidden gem attributed to none other than the Italian Renaissance master, Michelangelo. The 1.8 by 2.6 inch piece of yellowed paper, initially estimated at $6,000 to $8,000, fetched a staggering $201,600 at a recent Christie’s auction in New York. Although Michelangelo did not sign the piece, experts at Christie’s confidently attributed the drawing to his hand, thanks to its well-documented provenance.
The discovery of this diminutive Michelangelo drawing was somewhat serendipitous. Old Master drawings experts at Christie’s stumbled upon it while examining another work—an associated framed drawing that had previously sold at Christie’s in 1986. To their surprise, they found the scribble and a handwritten letter stuck to the back of the frame. The letter, dated 1836 and penned by Cosimo Buonarroti, a descendant of Michelangelo, addressed Sir John Bowring, a British economist and later governor of Hong Kong, offering the attached drawing by Michelangelo.
Insight into Michelangelo’s Process
The drawing itself is a diagram of a block of marble with the word “simile” written across it, which translates to “similar” in Italian. Thought to have been created around the time Michelangelo was working on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the drawing likely served as part of a larger sheet of corresponding diagrams.
Michelangelo’s penchant for meticulously recording the size, form, cost, and transportation requirements of marble blocks for monumental projects like the Sagrestia Nuova, Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, and the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome is well-documented. While he destroyed most of his sketches and drawings before his death in 1564, the few that survive are considered invaluable insights into his technical precision and visionary creativity throughout the artistic process.
Rarity and Auction History
Works by Michelangelo in private collections are exceedingly rare, with fewer than ten known to exist. Consequently, it is not unusual for his pieces to command high prices at auction. The last time a Michelangelo diagram sketch appeared at auction was in 2008, where it exceeded its estimated value by a considerable margin. Similarly, in 2022, a figurative sketch believed to be Michelangelo’s first-known nude sold for an astonishing $24 million, setting a new record for Michelangelo drawings sold at auction.
Feature Image: Diagram of a rectangular block of marble by Michelangelo Buonarroti, via Christie’s and AFP
