How are you?
Currently, I am
introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the
title “Interesting
Art Stories”.
The 53rd story is “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci.
Salvator Mundi, meaning ''Savior of the World'' in Latin, is a painting known to have been attributed in whole or in part to the Italian High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, around 1499-1510.
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| Leonardo da Vinci |
Long thought to be a copy of a lost original veiled with overpainting, the painting was rediscovered, restored, and included in the Leonardo exhibition in 2011–12 at the National Gallery, London by British museum curator and art historian Luke Syson.
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| Photograph showing overpainting before restoration, Salvator Mundi, Leonardo da Vinci |
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| National Gallery, London, England, United Kingdom |
Shortly after selling the work, Christie's
claimed that most leading scholars consider the painting to be an original work
by Leonardo. However, the degree of Leonardo's attribution to this painting is
still a disputable subject by other specialists, some of whom claim that
Leonardo only contributed to certain parts of the painting.
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| Before restoration (Left), After restoration (Right), Portrait of a Musician, Leonardo da Vinci |
The painting depicts Jesus in blue dress, making the sign of the cross with his right hand and holding a transparent, non-refracting crystal ball in his left hand, signaling his role as Salvator Mundi and representing the celestial sphere of the heavens.
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| Geocentric celestial spheres, Peter Apian's Cosmographia (1539) |
About thirty copies and variations of this painting by Leonardo's disciples and followers have been identified.
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School of Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi (c.1503) |
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Follower of Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi (1508-1513) |
Preparatory chalk and ink drawings by Leonardo
are held in the British Royal Collection.
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| Two Preparatory studies of drapery by Leonardo for Salvator Mundi, the Royal Collection |
On November 15, 2017, the
painting was sold at Christie's auction in New York to Prince Badr bin Abdullah
of Saudi Arabia for $450.3 million, breaking a new record as the most expensive
painting ever sold at public auction.
Prince Badr is said to have purchased the painting on behalf of Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, but he is believed to have been a bidder for his close ally and Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to a report published in late 2017, the painting is due to be displayed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and the unveiling schedule in September 2018 was canceled without sufficient explanation.
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| Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
The painting's current location has been reported as unknown, but a June 2019 report said the painting is being stored on bin Salman's luxury yacht until the completion of a cultural center in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-`Ula.
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| Al-'Ula old town |
A report published in October 2019 also suggested the possibility that
the painting is archived in Switzerland.
Thank you.
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