Michelangelo sketch discovered online sells for $27.2M (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: This tiny sketch has just sold for more than 27 million dollars at auction. It's a study by Michelangelo for one of his most famous works, the frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The sketch is just 5 inches tall and drawn in red chalk. Entitled, Study for a Foot of the Libyan Sibyl, the work was completed around 1510. And this is how the study compares to its finished version. According to the auction house Christie's, this is one of only 50 studies relating to the Sistine Chapel in existence, and is one of only about 10 Michelangelo drawings in private ownership. The sketch was found after an unsuspecting owner submitted it to the auction house's website for a free valuation.

[00:00:40] Speaker 2: The drawing looked immediately of great quality and then step by step in a process that was almost nine months long, I was able to confirm with the opinion of an expert on Michelangelo that this is an autograph drawing by the artist.

[00:00:56] Speaker 1: The bidding at Christie's Rockefeller Center auction room lasted for approximately 45 minutes, before the 27.2 million dollar offer won out.