When Christie's announced in October 2017 that it would offer Leonardo da Vinci's last privately-owned painting at auction, it took the art world by storm - causing endless debates over its authenticity and value. With an estimate of $100 million, its provenance seemed nevertheless justified.
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Its New York auction on November 15, 2017 eclipsed the high estimate by far, and Salvator Mundi sold for $450.3 million (including buyer's premium), making it the highest-selling painting in auction history. The identity of the buyer initially remained unknown, but it was soon rumored that the painting was to be exhibited in the then-newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi. But time passed and Salvator Mundi was as if disappeared. Eventually, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, was revealed as the buyer, and it was thought that the piece was kept in his yacht. In any case, Salvator Mundi has not been on public view since it was auctioned off in the autumn of 2017, nor has it been part of the major exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death in 2019 at the Louvre in Paris. One possible reason for this could be the persistent rumors that the painting is not an original work by Leonardo da Vinci at all, but rather likely created by a pupil or successor.
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In any case, the painting has not lost any of its fascination, and the art world seems keen on revisiting the piece. On August 12, ElmonX, a platform for digital assets, in collaboration with the image licensing company Bridgeman Images, released Leonardo's Salvator Mundi as an NFT, offering two different versions. One was the original version, limited to 660 copies for £150 each, and the other was the Artist Proof, limited to 13 copies, which also included a genuine high-quality print of the painting. This required £1,100, to be paid by credit card or in the digital payment unit Ether.
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Both versions are already sold out. The first ones are already being offered on the NFT marketplace OpenSea. Currently, as of 14 August, original versions are priced at up to 0.98 ETH (around $1,810.31) and an artist proof at 8 ETH ($14,778.08). Other NFTs of famous artworks minted by ElmonX earlier this year, including the Mona Lisa, Rodin's Thinker, van Gogh's Starry Night and even the famous gold mask of Tutanchamum were also hugely popular.
