Michelangelo drawing for Sistine Chapel sells for record $27 million at Christie's

A rediscovered Michelangelo drawing, Study for a foot of the Libyan Sibyl, sold for $27 million at Christie's New York on February 5, 2026, setting a new auction record for a drawing by the master. The work, a red chalk study for the foot of the Libyan Sibyl on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, was estimated at $1.5-2 million but sparked a bidding war lasting over 45 minutes. It was one of only 10 Michelangelo drawings in private hands and one of 50 related to the Sistine Chapel vault. The drawing was rediscovered when a person on the US West Coast, who inherited it from their grandmother, submitted a valuation request to Christie's. Specialist Giada Damen identified its connection to Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, commissioned by Pope Julius II della Rovere. Dated to 1511-12, the drawing is now the most expensive Michelangelo drawing ever sold at auction.