Drawing attributed to Michelangelo may be up for auction

How much can a genius’s graphics cost?

For half a century, the Sernesi family lived in a villa in the village of Settignano near Florence, where the great Michelangelo spent his childhood. Last year, the house, which is more than 500 years old, was sold to another owner for 8 million euros. Now the family is going to put up for sale the 100 by 130 cm drawing, which they received along with the villa for almost half a century. However, it is not yet clear whether the Italian authorities will allow it. But if so, how much could the work attributed to the hand of the Renaissance genius cost?

The drawing in question became famous in the late 1970s. Researchers are not sure that Michelangelo is really its author; there have been debates about this for many years. However, since the drawing was found and restored, it has been shown more than once at exhibitions in Japan, Canada, China and the USA. The graphics depict a figure of a half-man, half-beast: “triton”, god of the sea or “satyr” – this is also debated. The director of Florence’s Accademia gallery, for example, believes that more research needs to be done before drawing final conclusions.

However, just in case, many years ago the Italian Ministry of Culture declared the work a national treasure and stated that it could not leave Italy. This means that in the event of a sale, the Ministry of Culture has the right to veto the deal. The Sernesi family states that they are not going to sell the drawing for profit, so that it becomes publicly available to a wide range of viewers.

If the drawing does come out on the art market, how much might it cost? In 2022, an A4-sized drawing by Michelangelo was sold for 23 million euros at a Christie’s auction in Paris. There has also been controversy about it, however, this is the only public sale of a work believed to be by the hand of a Renaissance master. Accordingly, a newt pattern can cost at least four to five times more, if only because of its size.