[BayMoWe335]

"Dating back to around 1500, the rare painting is one of fewer than 20 authenticated works by the Italian in existence."

"First commissioned by Louis XII of France, the 26 inch tall by 18 inch wide oil painting was later owned by England's Charles I."

"When "Salvator Mundi" reappeared at auction in 1958, it was dismissed as a copy and sold for £45 ($59). Acquired by a group of art dealers for less than $10,000 in 2005, the painting -- which was in poor condition and had been heavily overpainted -- was painstakingly restored and subsequently authenticated."

Some private buyer made the purchase. I'm thinking it might have been Gates as he also owns "Codex Leicester" from Da Vinci. $450M is an insane amount and even a multibillionaire would have difficulty swinging it. Gates being at around $80B could swing it, but it's still 0.5% of his entire net worth.

http://www.cnn.com/style/article/da-...ies/index.html

[upstatedoc]

no such thing as "priceless" i guess...

[Uber Commuter]

Yeah that one is pretty crazy. It is hard to even justify that price as an investment at that point...

[overcoil]

Anyone reading the 'Leonardo Da Vinci' biography by Issacson ? very good easy read unlike the 'Titian" bio by Sheila Hale which takes lots of concentration.

[BuiltnBoostedZ]

Originally Posted by Uber Commuter

Yeah that one is pretty crazy. It is hard to even justify that price as an investment at that point...

Da Vinci's version of Jesus Christ....I seriously doubt it'll ever sell for less unless its stolen and sold on the black market. If it changes hands again, expect the price to double. Mona Lisa and this painting will always be the highest priced pieces of art.

[UncleWede]

Painted in 1500
"Heavily Overpainted" for 500 years
restored

Sorry, it's not the original any more, so I'll take the $200 rendition on velum paper, please.

[Maynard]

Or a Bob Marley album cover, if you want to go for historical accuracy. And what would Jesus think about spending 450 million on this, instead of something - anything - more useful to humanity?

[UncleWede]

New-age (crystal ball) Jesus would simply remind Christies about 10% tithe?

[BayMoWe335]

What's crazy is that it's been through so much and not even 100% certainly done by Da Vinci's hand.

For what it's worth, the "leading" expert on Da Vinci art says it's authentic and done by Da Vinci himself.

[Matt@EuroJerks]

NEWS FLASH.... ***** Di Vinci painting is claiming it was sexually harassed/ assaulted when it was 200 yrs old (150yrs before the age of consent)****

Story to follow on WaPo. Standby.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Matt@EuroJerks

NEWS FLASH.... ***** Di Vinci painting is claiming it was sexually harassed/ assaulted when it was 200 yrs old (150yrs before the age of consent)****

Story to follow on WaPo. Standby.

Mona, or Sal???

[dreamingat30fps]

Damn if I had that kind of cash to throw around on paintings I would pay $450 mill to NOT have that creepy shit in my house!

[vinylengraver]

To put this in perspective, you could buy 450 of those awesome green Singer Williams Porsche cars for this money. That, or a resto-mod painting that is supposedly original, or so says the expert.