The mysteries surrounding the most expensive painting in the world

The masterpiece "Salvator Mundi" - once auctioned for more than 450 million USD, the most expensive in the world - is currently unknown.

On the morning of October 14, on The Times , Professor Martin Kemp said he was invited to Saudi Arabia to examine Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece Salvator Mundi , with the participation of security agencies. "There are reasons why I hesitate, but if it helps bring Salvator Mundi to light, I am ready," he said. Martin Kemp is the author of Living with Leonardo , emeritus professor of Art History at Oxford University. He played an important role in confirming the painting was by Leonardo before it was put up for auction.

The news has raised hopes of the reappearance of Salvator Mundi . After a historic auction that made the painting the world's most expensive masterpiece in 2017, the work mysteriously "disappeared" .

"Salvator Mundi", oil on walnut, size 45.4 x 65.6 cm Photo: Christie's

According to Artnews , after purchasing the painting, Prince Bader of Saudi Arabia announced that it would be displayed at the Abu Dhabi Museum. However, the painting did not appear. The museum did not explain the reason. According to the Times investigation, the painting was brought to Zurich, Switzerland in the fall of 2018 for appraisal by an insurance company. However, this activity was canceled without reason. In 2019, the Louvre Museum (Paris, France) planned to hold an exhibition of the painting. After that, the museum announced an indefinite postponement. The staff here said "the current location of the famous painting could not be determined".

Bloomberg later reported that the painting was stored on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's yacht off the coast of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, until the opening of a cultural center in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, which is under construction. "It's unfair to art lovers around the world to hide such a masterpiece," said Dianne Modestini, a professor of fine arts at New York University who has restored the painting.

Salvator Mundi was lost for centuries, passing through many hands . According to Artnews, the painting was painted between 1506 and 1513 under the patronage of King Louis XII of France. In the 17th century, the work was in the collection of King Charles I of England and hung in the private room of his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. Later, the painting was owned by their son, King Charles II.

The painting next appeared in 1763, when Charles Herbert Sheffield - the illegitimate son of John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham - ordered the auction of the works of art after the sale of Buckingham Palace to King George III. The painting was placed in a gilded frame.

The work then disappeared for 140 years, until 1900, when collector Francis Cook bought it from Sir John Charles Robinson. The painting was damaged and believed to be by Leonardo's pupil Bernardino Luini. It entered the Cook collection at the Doughty House Gallery in Richmond, London. In 1958, it was sold at Sotheby's for £45. In 2005, it was bought by a group of American collectors at a New Orleans auction gallery for $1,175.

In 2011, the work was featured in an exhibition about Leonardo at the National Gallery in London. Two years later, Sotheby's sold it privately to art dealer Yves Bouvier for $80 million. Bouvier then sold it to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev for $127.5 million. At Christie's New York in 2017, the painting was bought by Prince Bader bin Abdullah for a record $450.3 million. The Wall Street Journal later cited US intelligence as saying that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the real owner of the painting. Bader was only bidding on his behalf.

Alan Wintermute, Christie's senior specialist in pre-19th century art, compared the work to the discovery of a new planet. "The Salvator Mundi is the Holy Grail of pre-19th century masters. It's like a mystical dream, unattainable until now," he said.

The painting at Christie's New York in 2017. Photo: PA

The question of "Who painted this painting?" has also caused much controversy . In the documentary The Lost Leonardo, businessman Robert Simon said that when he bought the work in 2005, he knew that there were dozens of copies hanging in museums around the world, while the original's whereabouts were unknown.

A source close to the Metropolitan Museum of Art said Simon brought the painting to the museum in 2006 for an examination. At the time, it was badly damaged and covered in multiple layers of paint. "It was a ruin, dark and gloomy. It had been restored many times in the past by people who did not know how. The restorer had applied artificial resin to it, which turned gray and had to be carefully removed. When they removed the excess paint, what was revealed was the original paint ," the person said. The painting was then restored by Dianne Dwyer Modestini, an art restorer and professor at New York University.

The painting after being cleaned in 2006. Photo: Theguardian

On Artnews in 2011, Robert Simon affirmed that after much research and examination of the signature, materials, and painting style, experts came to a consensus that the Salvator Mundi was the original painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

In 2011, the painting was introduced at the National Gallery in London. Before the exhibition, director Nicholas Penny invited four Leonardo experts to admire it. All agreed that this was the artist's masterpiece. On Artinfo , Martin Kemp - one of those present - said that as soon as he saw the painting, he determined that it was the artist's original. "Leonardo was there. The painting had a strange mystique," he said.

While many believe it is not by the artist, the Prado Museum in Spain claims it was painted by Leonardo's apprentice, who he only oversaw. Michael Daley, director of ArtWatchUK, says there is no evidence that the artist was involved in the Salvator Mundi . Some rumors suggest that Salvator Mundi was destroyed and no longer exists.