KaNiBaL Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 A painting of Christ by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci has sold for a record $450 million (380 million euros) at auction in New York, breaking previous records. The 500-year-old oil painting, "Salvator Mundi" or Latin for Savior of the World, depicts Christ holding a crystal orb and is one of fewer than 20 paintings by da Vinci known to exist. ''It ... sparks all sorts of great conversations around the art and adds a greater richness I think to the sale season,'' Conor Jordan, deputy chairman of impressionist and modern art for New York Christie's, the auction house that conducted the sale, told Al Jazeera. The 66cm-tall painting dates from around 1500 and shows Christ dressed in Renaissance-style robes, his right hand raised in blessing as his left hand holds a crystal sphere. It disappeared from view until 1900, when it resurfaced and was acquired by a British collector. At that time, it was attributed to a da Vinci disciple, rather than to the master himself. The painting was sold again in 1958 and then was acquired in 2005, badly damaged and partly painted over, by a consortium of art dealers who paid less than $10,000 (8,445 euros). In New York, art lovers lined up outside Christie's headquarters on Tuesday to view Salvator Mundi. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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