A recently unearthed drawing of St Sebastian by Leonardo Da Vinci. Credit: Tajan
Like something out of a fairytale, auction house curator Thaddée Prate received the shock of his life upon discovering a long-lost drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Generally considered to be one of the finest minds in the history of the Renaissance, Da Vinci is as much a figure of myth as a fantastic artist, making any acquisition of his work a major event. Befitting the legend, the event started when an old doctor from the provinces — who has chosen to keep his name secret — walked into the Tajan auction house in Paris to get a valuation for 14 unframed drawings left to him by his father. Upon observing a certain “interesting 16th-century drawing that required more work” featuring diagrammatic composition and right-to-left handwriting on the back, Prate reached out to MET curator of Italian and Spanish drawings Carmen. C Bambach for her expert opinion.
According to her, there is no doubt about the authorship: “The attribution is quite incontestable. What we have here is an open-and-shut case. It’s an exciting discovery.”
A recently unearthed drawing of St Sebastian by Leonardo Da Vinci. Credit: Tajan
The Da Vinci Work Is A Lost Drawing Of St. Sebastian
Considered to be the best of three studies Da Vinci made of the martyred saint, who was clubbed to death by Romans for spreading Christianity, the new discovery is the most complete attempt at depicting his suffering. Like many of the maestro’s works, it hints at something larger, such as a full-scale painting to rival his best work.
According to Dr Bambach, it is the first genuine Leonardo discovery since 2000, when Sotheby’s sold a sheet of “Hercules with a Club and Whirlpools” for $550,000. Nevertheless, this 1492 drawing is much more impressive, with Bambach saying that “My heart will always pound when I think about that drawing. It has so many changes of ideas, so much energy in the way he explores the figure. It has a furious spontaneity.”
The current valuation at $15.8 makes it the most expensively rated Leonardo drawing of all time, a smooth $4.3 million more valuable than a silverpoint study of a horse and rider that sold in Christie’s in 2001. Yet upon learning of the drawings worth, the unnamed owner said calmly: “I’m very pleased. But I have other interests in life other than money.”
The back of St Sebastian by Leonardo Da Vinci. Credit: Tajan
The Future Is Uncertain
Where this drawing ends up, given its unravelling has just been announced, may deliver more interesting developments. International law allows the French government to declare it a “national treasure” meaning it will end up in the Louvre opposite “The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and Mona Lisa”. Yet, given the appeal of the drawing, it may be issued an international passport so it can be sold worldwide. This could lead to conflict with multiple bidders putting in escalating offers for the drawing. Our only hope is that it ends up in a museum so everyone can see it, instead of hanging in the living room of a billionaire.