Authenticity debate over ‘da Vinci work’

Jack Shepherd

The Louvre in Abu Dhabi has postponed showcasing Salvator Mundi, a portrait of Jesus Christ, believed to have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

Bought last November for $450m (£341m), the buyer was later revealed to be a member of the Saudi royal family acting on behalf of the museum.

A reason for the delayed unveiling has not been revealed. The painting was initially due to debut at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on September 18, when the gallery opened but has now been put on hold indefinitely, according to The Department of Culture and Tourism.

Salvator Mundi (“the saviour of the world”) stands 26-inches-tall and dates back to the 1500s. Once owned by King Charles I, the painting disappeared from view until 1958 when a British collector acquired the work. The painting was attributed to a disciple of Leonardo at the time. However, art dealers tasked with restoring it later found documents which prove the work to be a Leonardo original.

Being one of only 20 paintings known to have been painted by Leonardo’s hand, Mundi went under the hammer in New York last year with a starting price of $100m. To some surprise, the work managed to overtake the $179.4m paid for Picasso’s Women of Algiers (Version O), making it the most expensive painting ever sold at the auction.

There was initially large amount of speculation over who initially purchased the painting, but US media first reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the mysterious buyer.

However, documents later attained by journalists named Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who is a relative of the crown prince, as the buyer.

— The Independent