The painting "Savior of the World" was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1499. The artist depicted Christ. With his right hand he blesses all living people, with his left hand he holds a symbolic Earth.
This is the only painting from Leonardo da Vinci's legacy that is in a private collection.
During the 17th – 19th centuries it was considered lost. Announced itself in 2004 at the Christie's auction, and was purchased by a collector antique paintings Robert Simon as the work of one of da Vinci's students.
In 2007, Simon approached the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a request to study the details of its creation.
Experts came to the conclusion that this work belongs to the brush of da Vinci.
After careful repeated double-checking, the assumption was confirmed.
In 2011, at an exhibition of works by Leonardo da Vinci, the public saw this painting for the first time.
In 2013, “Savior of the World” was again presented at auction - it was purchased by an art dealer from Switzerland, already with a confident note from Leonardo da Vinci, for $80 million, immediately resold to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev for $127.5 million.
In November 2017, at a public auction in New York, the owner provided the opportunity to compete for this painting. It was sold for 450 million 312 thousand 500 dollars. The buyer remained unknown.
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Leonardo da Vinci's painting Savior of the World: description, biography of the artist, customer reviews, other works of the author. Large catalog of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci on the website of the BigArtShop online store.
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Leonardo da Vinci - Italian scientist, inventor, artist, writer.
Born into the family of a notary. Soon after the birth of his son, the father left the family and married a rich woman. Leonardo was raised for the first years of his life by his mother, a simple peasant woman, then his father took the boy in with him. When Leonardo was 13 years old, his stepmother died. My father married again and became a widower again. He wanted to see his son continue his work, but Leonardo’s talent as an artist clearly manifested itself in his youth, and his father nevertheless sent him to Florence to the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio. In addition to sculpture, drawing, and modeling, Leonardo masters the humanities, chemistry, drawing, and metallurgy.
At the age of 20, Leonardo da Vinci received the qualification of a master, awarded to him by the Guild of St. Luke. His teacher Andrea del Verrocchio trusts the talented student to take part in his works and allows him to accept orders for paintings.
The next period of Leonardo's life is characterized by his fascination with the image of the Madonna.
In 1481, by order of the monastery of San Donato a Scopeto, Leonardo began work on the painting “The Adoration of the Magi.” Suddenly interrupting his work (Leonardo was inclined to abandon the work unfinished), the artist leaves Florence. The reason for his departure was the unfavorable attitude towards him of the Medici family, which was then in power.
Leonardo goes to Milan to the Sforza court. There he plays the lute and becomes known as the inventor of weapons.
In Milan, Leonardo begins to create his Treatise on Painting. This work lasted until the death of the genius.
In 1483 he received an order to paint the altar from the Franciscan Brotherhood of the Immaculate Conception. He has been doing it for three years. An interesting fact is that he had to go to court regarding payment; the trial lasted 25 years.
Leonardo receives orders from Sforza: becoming a court artist, he paints portraits.
Da Vinci invents a rolling mill, a machine for producing files, and a machine for making cloth. Also during this period, Leonardo created sketches of temples and took part in the construction of the Milan Cathedral. He developed a city sewer system and carried out land reclamation work.
From 1495 to 1498 Leonardo worked on The Last Supper.
After the loss of power by the Sforzes in 1499, Leonardo returned to Florence.
In 1502, Leonardo became an architect and chief engineer in the service of Cesare Borgia. During this period, da Vinci designed canals to drain swamps and created military maps.
In 1503, work began on the portrait of Mona Lisa.
For the next decade, Leonardo wrote little, trying to devote more time to anatomy, mathematics and mechanics.
In 1513 Leonardo moved to Rome under the patronage of Giuliano de' Medici. Here, for three years, he studied mirror making, mathematics, researched the human voice, and created new paint formulations.
In 1517, after the death of the Medici, Leonardo became court artist in Paris. Here he works on land reclamation, hydrography and very often communicates with King Francis I.
At the age of 67, Leonardo da Vinci died. His body was buried in the church of Saint-Florent-ten, but the grave was lost during many years of war.
The texture of the canvas, high-quality paints and large-format printing allow our reproductions of Leonardo da Vinci to be as good as the original. The canvas will be stretched on a special stretcher, after which the painting can be framed in the baguette of your choice.
MOSCOW, 16 Nov— RIA Novosti, Anna Mikhailova. An unknown buyer paid almost half a billion dollars for the last painting by the great Leonardo da Vinci remaining in private hands. The sale of the painting “Savior of the World,” which previously belonged to Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev, was preceded by an unprecedented PR campaign for the art world: a month before the auction, Christie’s auction house sent the painting on a real tour. Crowds lined up to see the “opening of the century.” Hong Kong, San Francisco, London and New York. Conservative art dealers have also turned to modern technologies: a series of videos about a unique work of art have appeared on YouTube.
© AP Photo/Kirsty WigglesworthLeonardo da Vinci's painting "Salvator Mundi" at Christie's auction in London. October 24, 2017
© AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth
Russian trace
Posted by Christie's (@christiesinc) Nov 15, 2017 at 8:16 PST
Everything about this sale was unusual, starting with the choice of auction: “Savior of the World” was exhibited in the post-war and contemporary art, which is strange for a painting dating from around 1499. Thus, Christie's tried to raise the starting price of the canvas, because in last years major collectors focused on 20th-century art, and Old Masters auctions attracted less and less money and attention.
Still, for a genuine da Vinci, the original price (estimate) remained quite modest - $100 million. Most likely, the reason is that the history of ownership of the painting (provenance) is very vague.
The last owner of the “Savior of the World” was Russian businessman and collector Dmitry Rybolovlev, who found himself in the center a couple of years ago loud scandal. Former owner Uralkali accused its Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier of fraud - he purchased works of art for Rybolovlev’s collection at real cost, and resold them to the customer at a huge markup. For example, Bouvier bought “Savior of the World” for $80 million, and Rybolovlev paid 127.5 million for the painting.
As a result, the businessman accused the dealer of overpaying twice for his collection. Now there are legal proceedings between Rybolovlev and Bouvier, and the unlucky collector is gradually selling off the scandalous collection.
From 45 pounds to 450 million dollars
Posted by Christie's (@christiesinc) Nov 15, 2017 at 9:43 PST
Rybolovlev's motives for selling "Savior of the World" are clear: he needed money. And the result, presumably, exceeded expectations. Now it will be difficult for a businessman to prove in court that he was left at a loss after transactions with Bouvier. Back in 1958, when the canvas first appeared at Sotheby's auction, but was not yet attributed to da Vinci, the seller managed to get only 45 pounds for it.
The painting was first mentioned in official documents only in the 17th century. According to a study by the ArtWatch organization, further transitions of the “Savior of the World” from one owner to another over the next four centuries are confirmed by rather vague formulations: “possibly acquired”, “probably belongs to a descendant”, “presumably brought the painting with him to England” , "perhaps handed down by inheritance."
© 2019 Associated Press "Savior of the World" for 400 million - Da Vinci's painting was sold for a record price
© 2019 Associated Press
Thus, the fate of the painting can be traced back to 1900, when, severely damaged by inept “additions,” it ended up in the collection of the English baronet Frederick Cook.
In 2004, the painting was purchased by a group of art dealers and sent for restoration. Details were not disclosed, but after restoration, the “Savior of the World” underwent several examinations in museums in Europe and the USA. Only the London National Gallery decided to recognize da Vinci as the author of the painting. In 2011, “Salvator Mundi” was presented at their exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci: Artist of the Milan Court” as a “discovery of the century.”
The Da Vinci Code
Posted by Christie's (@christiesinc) Oct 12, 2017 at 12:15 pm PDT
Today there are only about 20 paintings that are known for certain to have been painted by da Vinci. If you do not go into the intricacies of examinations and analysis of provenance, the belonging of “Savior of the World” to their number raises doubts - and there are several reasons for this.
Influential art critic and New York Magazine columnist Jerry Saltz cites the most significant ones.
Firstly, there are no sketches to prove that da Vinci worked on such an atypical, fully frontal depiction of the face of Jesus.
Secondly, there is no evidence that da Vinci even received an order for this painting: in those years the master, known for his leisurely work on paintings, was busy with mathematical research and several large paintings, including the legendary Mona Lisa.
Finally, the famous German expert on the work of Leonardo Frank Zollner made serious arguments in favor of the fact that “Salvator Mundi” is not a painting by da Vinci himself, but the work of students of his workshop. However, Zollner's findings were never included in Christie's catalog materials.
The simplest and most convincing way to dispel doubts would be to conduct a thorough technical and chemical examination, fortunately modern technologies have made great progress in this area. However, this is exactly what Christie's did not do, putting at risk not only the reputation of the prestigious auction house, but also the entire art business. After all, if the new owner of “Savior of the World” discovers that he paid 450 million for the work of an apprentice, the art market will collapse.
NEW YORK, November 16. /TASS/. Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Salvator Mundi" was sold on Wednesday at Christie's auction in New York for $400 million. As reported by The New York Times, along with royalties auction house the final price of the lot was $450.3 million.
According to the publication, the painting was sold by the trust fund of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who in 2013 purchased it for $127.5 million from the Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier. The name of the new owner of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece has not been disclosed.
On a canvas measuring 64.5 cm by 44.7 cm, for a long time considered lost, Christ is depicted in a sky-blue robe, right hand blessing, and holding a transparent ball with his left. Before the auction, the unique work was estimated at $100 million.
A masterpiece from the royal collection
As noted by Leonardo da Vinci expert Luc Sayson, the painting may have been painted for the French royal house and came to England after Charles I married the French princess Henrietta Maria in 1625. At the same time, master Vaclav Hollar, apparently on the queen’s orders, made an engraving from the canvas.
The painting was listed in the register of the royal collection compiled a year after the execution of Charles I in 1649, then was sold at auction in 1651 and by 1666 had returned to royal collection under Charles II. According to some reports, she was in personal account king. After 1763, traces of the painting were lost until it was acquired in 1900 in a badly damaged state for a private collection.
In 2007, the painting was restored at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University. On next year a group of internationally recognized experts on the work of Leonardo da Vinci studied the painting at the National Gallery in London and compared the painting style with another famous work master "Madonna of the Rocks".
According to one group of experts, Salvator Mundi dates from the end of Leonardo da Vinci's Milanese period in the 1490s, when the master painted the famous " last supper"Another group of experts believes that the painting was painted somewhat later, in the 1500s, during the Florentine period of Leonardo da Vinci's work.
Culture
If you look at the crystal sphere, you can see that it is completely transparent. However, in reality, such a sphere will increase and “blur” the background, but will not make it transparent.
According to the latest research, such a mistake is an anomaly for the Italian genius.
But what is even more puzzling to experts is that da Vinci studied optics in detail, to the point of obsession, and how light is reflected and refracted.
There is an assumption that the artist deliberately ignored this realistic aspect in favor of the symbolic aspect in order to convey a certain message.
There are only two reasons for this error, experts say. Either Leonardo simply did not want the image of the sphere to distract from the rest of the picture, or he was trying to convey the wonderful essence of Christ in this way.
The secrets of da Vinci's paintings
It is worth noting that in September 2017, a painting of a nude woman was found that is very similar to the Mona Lisa. Experts believe that at least part of this painting was created by Leonardo da Vinci.
The drawing was made using charcoal and named "Monna Vanna". It is believed that the artist prepared this painting for oil paints, but didn’t have time. Experts have been studying the work for several months, but it is very fragile, which slows down its study.
Leonardo da Vinci Salvator Mundi
At the London National Gallery, as part of the Leonardo exhibition, the painting “Savior of the World” will be shown to the public for the first time.for several centuriesconsidered lost. The discovery of this unique artifact was reported in June by an authoritative magazine Artnews, citing a statement by Robert Simon, a dealer included in the pool of painting owners. They managed to purchase this work in 2004 at an auction whose name was not disclosed, for an unknown amount. In July of this year, Simon issued a press release stating that after numerous examinations, a number of scientists believe that the authorship of the painting belongs to Leonardo da Vinci. The dealer also said that this particular painting is the missing original, from which the artist’s students made copies and engravings.
The stunning news seemed to divide the art world into two camps: some art historians and critics compare this find to the discovery of a planet, others are at least wary of it. An employee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who prefers not to advertise his name, single-handedly confirmed the authenticity of “Savior of the World” to Artnews. According to him, initially, a large amount of paint really made the painting look like a poorly executed copy, but when experts, with jewelry scrupulousness, cleaned it layer by layer, an amazingly delicate painting was revealed to them and there was no doubt left: in front of them was a long-lost original.
However, when the painting was submitted to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for research, the museum's curator refused to comment on the authenticity of the artifact. Another famous art historian, an expert in da Vinci’s technique, Carlo Pedretti, not only does not believe in the authenticity of “The Savior,” but even considers the whole story of the discovery of the canvas a “sophisticated marketing operation.”
In his opinion, only a pale semblance is passed off as the real da Vinci, the work of one of his students, and not the most talented ones at that. At the end of the article published in the official newspaper of the Vatican, the famous art critic and curator calls not to chase chimeras like “the next “Savior,” but to simply look at the painting to understand that it does not belong to the brush of the great painter.
Despite this mixed assessment finds in the press, many scientists specializing in the work of da Vinci recognized the authenticity of the painting, which allowed the National Gallery in London to exhibit her along with the recognized masterpieces of the painter.
Leonardo da Vinci "Lady with an Ermine"
Interestingly, the authenticity of one of the paintings on display, “Lady with an Ermine,” was also considered controversial for a long time, but over time it gained public recognition.
Undoubtedly, the inclusion of this painting in the exhibition dedicated to the Milanese period of da Vinci’s work will strengthen the position of the painting in the art world. However, it is unclear why laboratory studies, such as spectrography, whichwould justify the loud statements of experts and without which any assessments seem unfounded.
Albrecht Durer "Self-Portrait"
Salvator Mundi's theme to a greater extent characteristic of art Northern Renaissance, it is usually conveyed through a frontal image of Christ carrying the globe in one hand and blessing humanity with the other. Artists such as Jan Van Eyck, Dürer, Titian, El Greco and others turned to this motif. At the end of his life, Leonardo also painted this plot, as evidenced by the description of the painting by the “father of art criticism” Giorgio Vasari, as well as numerous drawings and sketches by da Vinci himself and engravings of his students. To date, only 15 works of the great genius are known, which makes a find of this kind priceless.
