Michelangelo drawing valued at £8m found in maid's room
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Your support makes all the difference.A drawing that remained hidden in a maid's room at a museum in New York for 60 years has been found to be a Michelangelo sketch valued at around £8m.
The sketch of a candelabra, or menorah, was discovered in a box of Renaissance designs of lighting fixtures by unknown artists – simply labelled "Italian 1530-1540".
Purchased along with five other drawings for £40 in 1942, museum scholars initially guessed the work might have been that of the 16th century artist Perino del Vaga, who often followed Michelangelo's designs. But somehow it was placed in the wrong box and remained undiscovered in the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum – part of the Smithsonian Institution – until this year.
"It's the stuff of children's story books," the director of Cooper-Hewitt, Paul Thompson, said yesterday, adding that such a discovery occurs "once in a museum's lifetime".
It was first identified as a Michelangelo by Sir Timothy Clifford, director of the National Galleries of Scotland, during a sabbatical visit in April. "You recognise a Michelangelo as you recognise a friend," Sir Timothy said.
While Sir Timothy was convinced, others were sceptical. To authenticate the find, the drawing was taken to London in mid-June for examination by Michelangelo scholars.
The unsigned work is a design for a seven-branched candelabra in black chalk, brush and brown wash on cream-coloured paper from the mid-1500s. Such candlesticks were used in both Jewish and Christian houses of worship during the 16th century.
Sir Timothy said he believed the drawing, which indicates the completed object was to be at least six feet tall, was destined for the Medici tombs project. The piece has been unanimously authenticated by Renaissance art scholars in the US and Europe.
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