Tiny scribble, whopping price: Michelangelo's simple doodle sold for THIS much

What is fame? Maybe it is when a seemingly unremarkable sketch you scribbled onthe smallest piece of paper is sold for thousands of dollars.

This is exactly what happened in the US, where a small yellowed piece of paper on which the famed Renaissance genius Michelangelo had scribbled a square sold for a whopping $201,600. This, as per a statement released by auction house Christie's on Wednesday (Apr 17), was 33 times its estimated value.

Its discovery

As per AFP, the scribble was found stuck to the back of the frame of another Michelangelo painting. The second painting had been in a private collection for decades, the auction house said in a media statement.

It was accompanied by a letter from Michelangelo's last direct descendant and was initially expected to fetch somewhere between $6,000 and $8,000.

However, Christie's in New York said that the piece, when it went under the hammer, ended up selling for "33.6 times its low estimate." The auction house did not disclose any details of the buyer.

What is the sketch?

The small work, AFP reports, depicts a block of marble. Written on the paper is the word "simile," which in English translates to "similar".

This is believed to have been drawn while the Renaissance genius Michelangelo was working on his famed workthe Sistine Chapel ceiling, a Christie's specialist told AFP some time back.

It is accompanied by a letter written by the artist's descendant, Cosimo Buonarroti. Written in 1836, in the letter, he offers the piece by his "illustrious forefather Michelangelo" to Sir John Bowring, who at the time was the future governor of Hong Kong, whose signature appears at the bottom of the sheet.

While the sketch is unsigned and has no proof, it is indeed drawn by Michaelangelo, as Christie's said that its research team has confirmed that the Italian artist was behind the small drawing.

(With inputs from agencies)