This week the city that never sleeps has housed the latest edition of Master Drawings week. Obligating 23 dealers to loose some of their slumber by making them open the doors of their galleries during the evenings too. In spite of the inmense American participation, there were also some foreign galleries such as the Spanish gallery José de la Mano or the Bristish Lowell Libson, who presented several lovely things including a portrait of a boy by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

Yesterday we witnessed the turnout of the week's most important bet, Sotheby's Old Masters Drawing, which presented several rare examples from the Italian, Flemish and Dutch renaissance, as well as more than 30 eighteenth century French drawings. The evening assesed the rarity of what was on offer. The unusual composition of Drago in front of a Lion by an unknown artist was sold for 62.500 dollars, meanwhile a portrait of Grat Duke Cosimo de Medici by Giorgio Vasari, climbed up to 122.500 dollars, leaving behindits conservative estimate of 25.000 dollars. 

Study of a drapery attributed to Cornelis Engebrechtsz had an estimate of 15.000-20.000 dollars and was auctioned off for 158.500 dollars. A drawing of a Seated Lady by Thomas Gainsborough was sold for 3140.000 dollars, almost tripling its auction estimate, and the study by Giovanni Alberti of a seated man with his arm strechted fetched 122.500 dollars. 

But the star of the evening was the portrait of a young man attributed to Piero del Pollaiuolo, no surprises there since its importance had already been highlighted for weeks. The work managed to arouse the expected interest and its price multiplied from its estimate of 300.000-400.000 dollars to the nearly 1.400.000 dollar bid made by J. Paul Gatty museum in Los Angeles. The drawing was a key piece in the works on paper week, and last night's outcome make it difficult for it to be surpassed by any of Christie's offererings today. 

Lee Hendrix, senior curator of drawings at the Getty museum, exhibited his satisfacion:"This acquisition anchors and provides context for the museum's Italian Renaissance drawings collection, one of the strongest of any U.S museum; this is the first major drawing from this pivotal early renaissance period to come on the market for many years, which paired with its extraordinary condition, makes this a very significant acquisition". Alfonso Carbajo Agrasar

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