Leonardo da Vinci’s Head of a Bear drawing might fetch USD 16 million at auction

Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing's ownership can be traced to British painter Thomas Lawrence and upon his death in 1830, it was passed to his dealer Samuel Woodburn.

A drawing of a bear's head by Leonardo da Vinci is seen fetching up to USD 16.7 million, potentially setting a record, when it heads to auction in July, Christie's said on May 8. Measuring 7 cm (just under 3 inches) squared, "Head of a Bear" is a silverpoint drawing on a pink-beige paper. The auction house says it is "one of less than eight surviving drawings by Leonardo still in private hands outside of the British Royal Collection and the Devonshire Collections at Chatsworth".