As if the great measure of Leonardo's paintings couldn't be extended any further, a recently discovered da Vinci original was unveiled at an American estate sale. And, yes, it sold for more than $75 million in a private transaction.
Even in California, you can bank ol' Leo received no royalties.
The painting: an oil-on-panel, Salvator Mundi, depicting Christ half-length with a crystal orb in his left hand, owned by a consortium that included New York art traders Alexander Parish and Robert Simon.
In a private sale at Sotheby's, the restored Christ--dating from ca. 1500 A.D.--was bought by an unidentified collector back in May 2013. The details remained confidential until this week, when London dealer Anthony Crichton-Stuart divulged the nature of the sale.
"It's a trophy painting by a highly important artist," Crichton-Stuart said.
"You have to balance its compromised condition against the fact that it is by one of the most magical and significant names in the entire canon of Western art, and in that sense, it feels like a fair price," he continued.
The 26-inch-high Mundi had been acquired in the mid-2000s, by Parish, for an undisclosed sum.
For more examination, here are a few minutes of intense close-ups of the multi-million Christ.
