A reader kindly alerted me to what may have been the sleeper drawing of the year. At Ader in Paris, in an auction of old drawings, they sold the above study of arms, Italy, 16th century. Estimated at 400 to 500 euro, it apparently (I haven't yet seen it confirmed) sold for 200,000 Euro. That's right, 200,000 Euro for a study of arms!
I suppose some bidders recognised the artist, I suppose we should be looking towards Michelangelo or someone similar. I guess the drawing will reappear in a major sale or exhibition soon with a more spectacular attribution.
Any guesses on who the artist may have been, or what it was a study for, are more than welcome!
UPDATE: apparently (and probably correctly) it has been bought as a drawing by Jusepe de Ribera. Seems a bit expensive, in that case, but a nice discovery nevertheless. I can just imagine the dismay when the bidders realised that they weren't the only ones to have spotted it.
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