Da Vinci’s $450 million painting ‘Salvator Mundi’ missing: Reports
Abu Dhabi, Mar 31 (Sputnik): A $450 million painting of Jesus Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, has disappeared from Lourve Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, media reports said.
The painting was sold at Christie’s in 2017 to a suspected stand-in for Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to The New York Times. It fetched a record $450.3 million.
A museum in Abu Dhabi, a licensed partner of Paris’ iconic Louvre, announced a month later that the masterpiece would be coming to its collection. But the scheduled unveiling in September was cancelled.
The US newspaper said the UAE culture department refused to answer questions about the painting’s whereabouts, while the staff of the Abu Dhabi museum told the paper they did not know where it was.
The disappearance of Salvator Mundi has reignited disputes about its authenticity, with some suggesting the new owner feared public scrutiny, the paper said.
Auction house contracts typically include a five-year authenticity warranty.
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