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Updated May 11th, 2021 at 14:30 IST

Leonardo Da Vinci’s 'Head of a Bear' drawing up for sale, likely to fetch $16.7 million

"Head of a Bear' is exceptional record of Leonardo Da Vinci's sensibility and groundbreaking attitude towards study of nature,"auction center Christie's said.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Leonardo Da Vinci'
(Image Credit: Cristies/twitter/@ArtistDaVinci)  | Image:self
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A small sketch of a bear’s head penned by Leonardo da Vinci is expected to go on sale at ‘The Exceptional Sale’ auction organised by the Christie's London this July and is expected to fetch between $11 and $16 million. It would be sold for twice the price that the Italian artists’ previous work has been sold twenty years ago such as the "Horse and Rider" that was sold for $11.2 million bidding. “The work is a precious example of Leonardo’s scientific interest, sensitivity to the natural world, exceptional gifts of observation, and unmatched mastery as a draughtsman,” Christie’s said in detail on the website. Leonardo Da Vinci, the popular Italian polymath of the High Renaissance renowned for over centuries, has made it to some of the most distinguished collectors and his work has appeared at major institutions including the National Gallery in London, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Saint Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum, according to reports that traced his art sales. 

"Head of a Bear' is an exceptional record of Leonardo da Vinci's sensibility and groundbreaking attitude towards the study of nature. The drawing was executed in silverpoint on prepared paper, an incisive yet demanding technique that Leonardo learned from his master Verrocchio," Christie's Inc said in an Instagram post, sharing the artwork. 

Expected to sell to 'distinguished collectors'

The “Head of Bear,” which measures 7cm by 7cm has been drawn on silverpoint on the pink-beige paper during 1480. The art can break records of £8.1m drawing of  Horse and Rider from the 1480 measuring larger at 12cm by 7cm, which sold at Christie's in London in 2001. Chairman of Old Master paintings at Christie's New York, Ben Hall, said in a statement that Leonardo’s drawing sells among some of the most distinguished collectors in the field of Old Masters across many centuries, not least the present owner who has owned it since 2008. Meanwhile, Stijn Alsteens, international head of Old Masters, Christie’s Paris, said in a statement that the art will achieve a new record in July and it is also one of the last drawings to go on auction. The work is in the collection of the 18th-century British painter Thomas Lawrence and the dealer Samuel Woodburn.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Christie's (@christiesinc)

 

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Published May 11th, 2021 at 14:30 IST

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