Da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' Could Fetch $100 Million At Auction
Channel: TOP FlasH
Date: 15/11/2017

Da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' Could Fetch $100 Million At Auction
A rediscovered artwork by Italian Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci was set to be auctioned Wednesday in New York for at least $100 million. 

"Salvator Mundi" — also pegged as the "Last da Vinci"— is one of 16 surviving original works by the renowned artist, including the "Mona Lisa," and features Jesus dressed in Renaissance-era robes with a crystal orb in his left hand and his right hand held up as a sign of blessing.  

Originally painted in the early 1500s, "Salvator Mundi" has seen plenty of owners over its 500 years. The painting has disappeared and reappeared on the public's radar numerous times, but the most recent rediscovery was in 2005. The work was believed at first to be a copy, however, after a 6-year process of restoring and verifying the artwork, it was finally concluded that the piece was, in fact, an original da Vinci.

All of da Vinci's artworks are displayed in various museums which makes "Salvator Mundi" the last da Vinci in private hands. The auction of this particular painting is set to occur Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Christie's auction house in New York. 

"I can hardly convey how exciting it is for those of us directly involved in its sale," said Christie's specialist Alan Wintermute in a CBS news report Wednesday. "The word 'masterpiece' barely begins to convey the rarity, importance and sublime beauty of Leonardo's painting."

The rare work of da Vinci is not the only masterpiece to be sold during Christie's auction. "Laboureur dans un champ," a masterpiece painted by famous impressionistic painter Vincent Van Gogh, was sold Monday for $81.3 million after a four-minute long battle among bidders after being valued at $50 million. 

Christie's also holds the record for most expensive art piece ever sold. "The Women of Algiers (Version O)" by Pablo Picasso was auctioned for a whopping $179.4 million in 2015.
That $100 million Leonardo da Vinci painting might not even be by Leonardo da Vinci


The auction house Christie’s is putting the last Leonardo Da Vinci painting in private hands up for sale. It's an ethereal image of Jesus called "Salvator Mundi," translated as "Savior of the World." The 500-year-old painting, which had to be heavily restored, could sell tonight for more than $100 million.

But according to art critic and New York Times contributor Blake Gopnik, this particular painting may be a Leonardo "in theory" only.  

Gopnik spoke with Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio about the public's love of high-priced art, why asking if the painting is actually by Leonardo might not be the right question, and the pressure art historians have to attribute unknown works of art to famous artists. Below is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Blake Gopnik: We love the idea that something might sell for $100 million, $150 million, $200 million. We just can't do without those kind of numbers. That's what really interests us. Forget art. What we want is big, big price tags.

David Brancaccio: Now you start out by saying "in theory." There's some doubt in your mind?

Gopnik: I saw it on Saturday. I went there with an eminent Renaissance art historian friend of mine, and we looked and looked at it and there are things in it that look very much like Leonardo. You could argue that there are too many things that look like Leonardo. It's a kind of compendium of Leonardo-isms and if you were a pupil of Leonardo, what would you do? You would say, "Oh right, Leonardo. The boss. He likes sfumato. He likes extreme perspectival effects." And you'd sort of add those all to a very conservative picture.

No, I'm not saying that this isn't Leonardo. I'm also not saying that it is a Leonardo. I'm actually saying that it's a kind of incoherent question to ask. It's kind of like asking, "Is the moon Jewish or is the sun gay?" Pictures, even today, let alone in the 16th century can be all sorts of things between being by a great master and being by some assortment of assistance. I am perfectly happy — I think it's way more interesting to say, you know, "This is a funny, interesting picture that might be by Leonardo." It's Leonard-ish, is what I'd say. And I'm interested in that category that Leonardo helped create. But that's not what the market wants. The market wants yes or no answers to these questions.

Brancaccio: I was looking into the history also, and this painting sold in 1958 for 45 British pounds sterling. If you do the math that's about $1,000 in modern money. That was a steal, but it was in 1958, before "Mona Lisa" had gone on tour in the U.S. So of course it was only a grand.

Gopnik: This actually reminds me of a story that I recently heard, except it's not just a story, it happens to be true. I know of an art historian who was asked to authenticate a work by Leonardo, and he was gonna, you know,