Few would have realised that the depiction of a seated man was the work of a child aged just 12 or 13. This sketch of the Seated Man is said to be the earliest-known Michelangelo, created when he was aged around 12. He dates it partly through comparisons with two other slightly later Michelangelo drawings, one after Giotto and the other after Masaccio. The Seated Man drawing is owned by an anonymous British collector, who purchased it in 1989 in a French auction. He contacted Sir Timothy after an initial suggestion of Michelangelo's hand was made to him by art historian Miles Chappell.

Source: Daily Mail May 19, 2019 10:50 UTC