World's most expensive 'fake'? The $450 million Salvator Mundi vanishes after its authenticity is questioned
Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' has not been seen in public since it was sold by Christie's in 2017, and doubters claim it's because the painting is a fake.
Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' — a painting depicting Jesus in a Renaissance dress and giving a benediction with his right hand raised and two fingers extended, while holding a transparent rock crystal orb in his left hand — became the world's most expensive painting when it was sold for $450 million in November 2017 by Christie's in New York. It has never been seen since.
It was initially unclear who had purchased the iconic painting, though it was later revealed that Christie's had sold the painting to Saudi Arabia's Prince Badr, who is the first and current Minister of Culture in the kingdom and who was acting on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism.
