Most expensive painting in the world (450 million dollars) not by Leonardo da Vinci?

Instead, Salvator Mundic (The savior of the world) painted ‘with the permission or under the supervision of’ the famous Italian, for example in his workshop, the Prado museum in Madrid writes in a booklet that accompanies the exhibition Leonardo and the Mona Lisa copy.

The unveiling was done on Thursday by means of The Art Newspaper and will most likely significantly influence the price of the painting in a subsequent sale. Whether the paint streaks come from the hands of Da Vinci or one of his ’employees’ makes quite a difference.

The news fits into the discussion that has been going on for some time about the origin of the canvas. The effigy of Jesus Christ was still considered a third-rate work from Da Vinci’s workshop in 1958 and was attributed to one of his assistants. It sold for just 45 British pounds at an Old Masters auction. However, in 2005-2006 the work was restored (there was still a sketch under the thick layer of paint) and then officially awarded to Leonardo da Vinci.

In 2017, the painting was sold for an astronomical amount of 450 million dollars to the Saudi prince and culture minister Badr bin Abdullah, a front man of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The work has been touted by auction house Christie’s as ‘the masculine Mona Lisa’ and ‘the greatest artistic rediscovery of the past hundred years’. It was rumored that the painting was then hung in the Serene, the superyacht of the Saudi crown prince. Now it is unknown where the work is.

Although some experts later wondered aloud whether Salvator Mundic really written by Da Vinci, the Prado Museum’s writing is the most critical note of a prominent museum since the auction of the work in 2017: ‘It is hoped that it will be exhibited again and again in the future. and can be analyzed with greater objectivity.’

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