Leonardo Da Vinci's drawing of the head of a bear was sold for a record £8.8million at auction.
The picture, titled 'Head Of A Bear', was drawn on a pink-beige 'Post-It Note' less than three inches squared, made in 1480, The Times reports.
It was purchased at Christie's auction house by an unnamed 'family trust' and is the most expensive sale for any of Da Vinci's work on paper.
Leonardo Da Vinci's drawing of the head of a bear (pictured), which is three inches squared, was sold for a record £8.8million at auction
The 'Post-It note' size drawing was purchased at Christie's auction house (pictured) by an unnamed 'family trust' and is the most expensive sale for any of Da Vinci's work on paper
The sale beat the 2001 sale for his 'Horse and Rider', bought for more than 8million pounds - the former record for a drawing by the Italian Renaissance master.
The picture has been on display in New York, Hong Kong and London before it's purchase.
Speaking before the sale, Ben Hall, old master paintings chairman at Christie's New York, described the drawing as 'one of the most important works from the Renaissance still in private hands'.
He added: 'The work has been owned by some of the most distinguished collectors in the field of old masters across many centuries, not least the present owner who has owned it since 2008.
![Pictured: Royal Collection Trust staff pose beside some of Leonardo Da Vinci's anatomical studies at A Life in Drawing, the largest exhibition of Leonardo's work in more than 65 years, at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 23, 2019 [file photo]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/05/08/12/42728112-9556733-image-a-107_1620473360174.jpg)
Pictured: Royal Collection Trust staff pose beside some of Leonardo Da Vinci's anatomical studies at A Life in Drawing, the largest exhibition of Leonardo's work in more than 65 years, at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 23, 2019 [file photo]
'It has been admired around the world whilst shown by prestigious museums and Christie's is honoured to bring this Leonardo to the market this season.'
The piece is a silverpoint drawing on a pink-beige paper, that depicts - as the name suggests - a sketch of a bear's head. The signature of Leonardo da Vinci is written in the bottom-right hand corner.
The auction house said 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'.
