Rare Da Vinci painting smashes world records with $450 million sale

[Stuart G]

http://www.cnn.com/style/article/da-vinci-salvator-mundi-sale-christies/index.html

Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" has become the most expensive artwork to ever sell at auction, going for $450.3 million at Christie's in New York. Dating back to around 1500, the rare painting is one of fewer than 20 authenticated works by the Italian in existence.

Original estimates had predicted bids of over $100 million for the piece. But the new record was set after approximately 20 minutes of telephone bidding, far surpassing the previous auction record held by Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger," which sold for $179.4 million in 2015.

Although lacking the detail and clarity of the "Mona Lisa" -- which was created in approximately the same period -- "Salvator Mundi" attracted crowds of visitors during pre-auction viewings in London, Hong Kong and San Francisco. It depicts Jesus Christ in Renaissance clothing, one hand raised in blessing and the other holding a crystal orb.

First commissioned by Louis XII of France, the 26 inch tall by 18 inch wide oil painting was later owned by England's Charles I. But the artwork had been presumed lost since the late 18th century.

When "Salvator Mundi" reappeared at auction in 1958, it was dismissed as a copy and sold for £45 ($59). Acquired by a group of art dealers for less than $10,000 in 2005, the painting -- which was in poor condition and had been heavily overpainted -- was painstakingly restored and subsequently authenticated

The record-breaking price tag will come as a relief to previous owner Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian businessman, who bought the painting for $127.5 milion in 2013.
.......................(rest of article at link)

[jberryhill]

1. I had to drop out at 200 million

Because it’s a nice painting, but it would kind of clash with the upholstery on my recliner, and I’d have to reposition my TV wall mount.

[Stuart G]

2. Outstanding move..I agree ..clash with the recliner..and so many visitors to see it,

no doubt they would ruin the living room carpet. I pulled out at fifty million because of limited parking where I live ..just too many visitors, and not enough spaces. Actually, I don't like the colors of the painting..too dull,not bright enough for me....kinda old...

[jberryhill]

6. Are you the guy who outbid me on this one a while back?

[longship]

24. On velvet, no doubt... NICE!!!

Just like "The King" ought to be rendered.

Oh! And Jesus, too.

[jberryhill]

36. Yeah, Im thinking the Da Vinci was probably cut in half

[Generic Other]

43. Why does Elvis get the bigger halo?

[jberryhill]

44. How many platinum records did Jesus sell?

[Soxfan58]

28. I thought about it.

But I could not bring myself to take down the Dogs playing poker artwork!!!

[jberryhill]

48. Oh, hell no

Who would take down a classic like that for an old picture of Jesus?

[Not Ruth]

3. Horrible

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. The free shipping feature gets 'em every time.

I speak from experience.

[jberryhill]

9. Wait, was the frame included?

Fuck. I should have stayed in. I could have used that frame.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

46. Hahahahaha. Thanks. NT

[oasis]

5. Please keep Mr. Bean away from that painting.

[Stuart G]

7. I think it is one of those moments in time....When you think you have seen it all? Guess what?

You ain't seen it all. 450 million for a piece of art?....what would 450 million buy? Oh oh..
I had better not go there...nope

[PSPS]

8. And the rich complain they pay too much tax. Geesh.

[jberryhill]

14. But look how it will trickle down to struggling artists!

[Gabi Hayes]

10. Rybolovlev, as in:

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/donald-trump-2016-russian-ties-214116

Nobody noticed this?

The guy trump doubled his ~$45 mil Miami home investment with?

David Cay Johnston has the definitive story on this at his dcreport.org site (might be dcreports.org)

Lots of stuff here during the election theft

[Gabi Hayes]

11. Is Mueller looking into this great way to launder gazillions

of rubles—I mean dollars?

Bet lots of other ‘garchs are doing this

[Volaris]

12. I caught it as well.

[Stuart G]

13. Well, Well and Welll..............I guess Rybolovlev made some more on this investment..

oh...I guess more than 250 million...profit...

not bad for selling something..eh?.................WAIT>>>>> is this story made up?????
......................................only if CNN made this up..it is a CNN link.......but 450 million for a painting??? ain't possible..?????

[Gabi Hayes]

15. Is he not covered under magnitsky?

If not, WHY not?

?????????

Isn’t that the reason it was passed?

[Freethinker65]

16. Hmmmm?

[delisen]

31. Money Laundering in the Art World?

[Achilleaze]

39. Sleazy ass russian-republican criminals against America & decency

lock them up

[edhopper]

17. Quick

give the buyer a tax cut.

[BigmanPigman]

18. When I saw this on MSNBC this morning they predicted

that it would be high but not that high. They were discussing the poor person/persons who originally sold it for $10,000. That is the very sad part of the story.

[defacto7]

19. Back in the 50s my mother bought a pile of plates

at an estate sale for 10 cents. She put them away for a couple of years then decided to have a garage sale. A man came in looking around and asked if she'd take $5 for one of them. She thought she got a pretty good deal.
The guy went to Chicago and sold it for $8000. He was nice enough to come back and offer her $500. She turned it down. Fair and square deal.
It was the missing plate from a set by William Shakespeare. It had his signature on the back.

Gees mom.

[BigmanPigman]

21. What a respectable thing for your mom to do.

She obviously is/was not a Republican. I wonder if Antiques Road Show would've been able to spot the treasure she had.

[defacto7]

22. She was quite a person, died in '62.

She fought against racism and stood with the black community fighting for equal rights. That was a tough stance for a white woman to take at the time. Lots of stories.

About that plate... $8000 could buy 3 houses back then and $500 a new car. Gees Mom!

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. "A set by William Shakespeare"? You make it sound like he was a pottery manufacturer

Wrong name, perhaps?

[defacto7]

35. Look it up.

[muriel_volestrangler]

40. What's that supposed to mean?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_handwriting

Are you saying that looking it up will show it's a hoax?

[defacto7]

42. No. I just did a search myself and found nothing.

Maybe I did get the name wrong. I don't know. I guess family legends can get twisted. Supposedly it was before I was born.

I'll stand down.

Opening up personally on the Internet is a mistake I should have figured out by now... or is it?

[jberryhill]

45. Your mother had a valuable antique of some sort

But family stories do indeed get mangled. Mainly because they are told to children.

Sometimes the actual stories are more interesting. So the research project here would be to figure out what sort of antique plate would have had that kind of value at that time.

Don’t let it bother you.

[defacto7]

49. Thank you..

You sound like an intuitive person... and practical too.

[jberryhill]

47. Or perhaps an antique Shakespeare plate by Wedgewood or something to that effect

[defacto7]

37. He made china as a profession for a time. And rather mundane

china at that.

[Baitball Blogger]

20. Yup. The Russian Oligarch made off like a bandit.

On the other hand, who knows if the painting was stolen and the thief never could find a valid way to make money off of it?

[WinkyDink]

34. "like"?!

[Beringia]

23. Looks like the Mona Lisa

[DFW]

26. The price will "come as a relief" to the previous owner?

Yes, I guess a quarter billion dollar profit in four years can be deemed a "relief." Unless Rybolovlev had outstanding debts of $300 million elsewhere, I'd say it that was a rather big relief. It will probably mean a huge $15.95 tax windfall, too, for the government of Bermuda or Monte Carlo or Gibraltar, or wherever it is he has his official residence.

[JCannon]

27. The version that sold for such a high price is not the "prime" version

Since 2010, my ladyfriend (who has a degree in art history) and I have worked on a presentation to prove that the "Cook" version of the Salvator Mundi (the one which sold for $450 million) and the "de Ganay" version (which, we are informed, is now in Brazil) both came from Leonardo's studio, and that the de Ganay should be considered prime.

We have been working on a video documentary to demonstrate the evidence. Brief and misleading press accounts have given the public an incomplete view of these two paintings; we feel that our presentation gives the fullest account available of the provenance and histories of these two versions of the Salvator Mundi.

You can see the video (which is not yet complete) here:

http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2017/11/did-leonardo-da-vinci-really-paint.html

I know some people will score me for linking to a video posted on my own site. Sorry. Our argument is very technical and detailed and cannot be summarized here. Frankly, many points will not be understood without the visual component. So I hope that readers of DU will forgive my offering such a link in this one instance.

We ask only for a calm and objective weighing of the evidence. We invite all to double-check our sources, and we are open to serious counter-argument.

[CanSocDem]

41. Good work.

Your evidence is interesting and compelling. Don't give out your home address.


.

[Soxfan58]

29. How many people could we feed

Cloth shelter, and give healthcare to.

[jberryhill]

38. Feeding, clothing and sheltering people is fine, but this is an incomparable Jesus!

[delisen]

30. NPR had an art expert casting doubt on

the authenticating of these supposed paintings by old masters.

some takeaways:

some may have been done not by the old master but by students, apprentices, or others. A painting may be old and of the era , have many of the characteristics of the old master but be painted by someone else.

sellers may be paying art experts a percentage of the selling price to authenticate instead of a customary flat fee. (If an authenticated art work is projected to sell for 100 million and the art expert will be paid 10 million of that instead of a 10 thousand fee how likely is the expert to find that the painting is a fake?

[zaj]

32. More money laundering?

4x the price and suspicion about there are 2 both with questions about their quality?