Salvator Mundi

Salvator Mundi is a Christian iconographic subject showing Jesus Christ as the “Saviour of the World,” typically with his right hand raised in blessing and his left holding an orb.

Salvator Mundi is a Christian iconographic subject depicting Jesus Christ as the “Saviour of the World,” typically shown with his right hand raised in blessing and his left holding an orb. The most famous work with this title is a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, completed around 1500, whose attribution and provenance have been widely debated. In 2017, that painting sold at auction for $450.3 million, setting a record for the most expensive artwork ever sold.

Iconography

Salvator Mundi is a long-established Christian subject depicting Jesus as the ruler and saviour of the world. The image usually includes a blessing gesture and an orb symbolizing the cosmos or earthly rule.

Leonardo da Vinci painting

The best-known Salvator Mundi is an oil-on-panel painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and dated to around 1500. It became globally famous after restoration, exhibition, and an extraordinary auction result.

Attribution and restoration debate

Experts have disagreed over how much of the painting is by Leonardo himself and how much may be from his workshop or later restoration. This uncertainty has made the work one of the most contested paintings of the modern era.

Auction history

After resurfacing in the 2000s, the painting was sold at Christie’s in 2017 for $450.3 million. The sale set a world record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.