Fake ‘Mona Lisa’ Painting Sells For Over $3 Million
Image via Christie’s
While one might expect the original Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci to fetch millions should it ever go on sale, it’s a surprise that even copies of the artwork can fetch staggering prices on the market.
A reproduction of the famed artwork just sold for €2.9 million (US$3.4 million) at an online auction held by Christie’s Paris, far surpassing the auction house’s estimates of €200,000 to €300,000 (US$236,000 to US$355,000).
The replica, named after antiquarian Raymond Hekking, was acquired from an antique dealer in a small village in Nice, France. Hekking was convinced that his copy of the Mona Lisa was the real thing, rather than the one on display at the Louvre.
Hekking invited media from across the globe to his home in Nice, even challenging the Louvre to prove the authenticity of its version. The Mona Lisa had been stolen from the Louvre in 1911, leading Hekking to think it had been replaced by a fake.
Turns out, the work he owned was likely a copy by an “Italian school, early 17th-century, follower of Leonardo da Vinci,” according to a press release by Christie’s.
Take a look at the replica that fetched millions below.
Image by Christie’s
[via The Art Newspaper, images via Christie’s]
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