Leonardo da Vinci’s long lost portrait of Christ ‘Salvator Mundi’ has sold for a record smashing $450.3 million (about N162billion) on Wednesday at Christie’s in New York more than double the old mark for any work of art at auction.
The painting, which once sold for just $60 at auction, fetched more than four times over the Christie’s pre-sale estimate of about $100 million, making it the most expensive painting ever sold.
‘Salvator Mundi’, Italian for ‘Savior of the World’ was purchased by an unidentified buyer bidding via telephone after a protracted bidding war that stretched to nearly 20 minutes at the New York auction house.
At one point, a telephone bidder jumped in, pushing the price from $332m to $350m. The bidding then resumed: $353m, $355m. A jump to $370. A jump to $400m.
It is the highest auction price for any work of art and brought cheers and applause at the packed Christie’s auction room.
Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519 and there are fewer than 20 of his paintings in existence.
