The last remaining Leonardo da Vinci painting in private hands will be offered at auction next month.
The New York auction house Christie’s, announced that Salvator Mundi (Latin for “Savior of the World”) will be offered for an estimated £75 million ($100 million) next month – 60 years after it was sold for £45 ($60). It is one of 15 known paintings by da Vinci and was at one stage in the Royal collection of King Charles I (1600-1649).
Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi
The painting once belonged to King Charles I of England, and later his son, Charles II in the 17th century. But after that, there were no record of its whereabouts between 1763 and 1900. Then, it was acquired by Sir Charles Robinson as a work by da Vinci’s follower, Bernardino Luini, for the Cook Collection, Doughty House, Richmond. The painting’s authorship by da Vinci, origins and illustrious royal history had been forgotten, and Christ’s face and hair were overpainted.
Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi
The painting is owned by Russian investor Dmitry Rybolovlev, whose estimated net worth is $7.4 billion and has been mired in many controversies – in the art world and beyond.
Christie’s has announced it would be selling Salvator Mundi at its Evening Sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art on November 15, 2017 in Rockefeller Plaza.
Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi
