Lost Leonardo Di Vinci Painting Sold For What?!

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the biggest names in art. His 500-year-old painting titled “Salvator Mundi” or “Savior of the World” sold at Christie’s auction house in New York last week for an impressive $450.3 million.

The painting is a depiction of Jesus Christ and, according to Yahoo, beat the previous auction painting record of $179.4 million for Pablo Picasso’s “The Woman of Algiers”.

Da Vinci's “Salvator Mundi” dated as far back as the 1500s as a gift to King Louis XII of France and Anne of Brittany.

It wasn’t until 1651 that the painting reportedly sold for a total of 30 euros. According to Business Insider, the image was sold in order to pay a debt after Kind Charles I’s death.

The painting was lost in 1763. It reappeared again at a Sotheby’s London auction in 1958 where it sold for 45 euros. Leonardo’s work sold again back in 2005 where Alexander Parish for $10,000. You have to admit, comparing prices, Parish really purchased the piece of art for a bargain!

Eight years later, the image was sold again in a private Sotheby’s sale for around $75-$80 million. The same year, the buyer, Yves Bouvier sold it again for a cool $127.5 million.

The price drastically increased in the coming years. For Christie’s auction house, being able to sell the painting was a rarity. The auction house called it the “Holy Grail”.

Francois de Poortere, the head of the Old Masters department at Christie’s stated to Yahoo, “It’s an extraordinary price for an extraordinary painting. Leonardo inspired generations and continues to inspire today. He was a genius of his time and people still see him as that. It’s an extraordinary feeling to see the magnetism around this painting.”

Sarah is a Hufflepuff living in NYC. When she is not traveling or talking to random animals, she is working as a script writer. Tweet her at @lumpyspacederp