LONDON – A drawing of the head of a bear by Italian master Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) achieved a new world record for a drawing by the artist when it roared to $12,196,778, the top price achieved in Christie’s Exceptional Sale on Thursday, July 8. Measuring just 2¾ by 2¾ inches, the pen and brown ink on pink-beige prepared paper had extensive provenance, publication and exhibition history and sold to an anonymous buyer in the saleroom. It beat the previous record for a drawing by the artist, which Christie’s set in 2001 when the house realized $11,481,059 for “Horse and Rider.” The 30-lot Exceptional Sale realized a total of $26.9 million with 77 percent of lots selling. For more information, www.christies.com.
