Damaged Copy Of Da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Mundi’ Reaps 70X Its Predicted Price

At an Old Masters auction held by Christie’s in late November, a damaged copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Salvator Mundi—currently the most expensive artwork in the world—sold for 70 times its estimated selling price.
 
The work was first estimated to cost €10,000 (US$10,851), but instead sold for €1 million (US$1.1 million). This has been an unprecedented sale considering that the artist behind the replica is still unknown.
 
Christie’s listed the painting as the work of an “Italian school, [around] 1600, after Leonardo da Vinci,” placing its creation a century after Da Vinci’s death. 

The piece had not been forensically examined, according to The Art Newspaper. Instead, a condition report cited damage to the scarlet garment worn by Christ, the background, and the orb in his hand.
 
It was also found that several restoration attempts had been made on the work. However, as all of the main elements of the painting have not been touched up, the report concludes that it is in good condition.
 
The painting had been handed over to Christie’s after being kept in private ownership by a family in southern France. Additionally, it had been listed in a 2019 catalog by the Louvre for an event dedicated to Da Vinci, which listed this particular painting as one of the copies of the Salvator Mundi.
 
 
 
[via The Art Newspaper and Artnet News, cover image via Christie’s]