The post Here is Why Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” is the World’s Most Controversial Painting appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>It is believed that “Salvator Mundi,” depicting Jesus Christ in a blue Renaissance dress while he holds a crystal orb in his left hand and makes a cross with his right hand, was created at some point between 1499 and 1504 as a result of a private commission. The painting was possibly mentioned in the estate of Leonardo’s pupil Salaì in 1525, after which it was considered lost or even destroyed. Around 30 copies made by Leonardo’s pupils and showing the same subject surfaced in the meantime.
The “Salvator Mundi” sold at Christie’s auction was thought to be one of the copies and was sold as such at an auction in 1958, being attributed to Leonardo’s pupil Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio. The painting was in bad shape due to overpainting and poor restoration efforts, while its frame was infested by worms.
Art dealers Alexander Parish and Robert Simon acquired the painting for just over $1,000 in 2005 and, after further inspection, concluded it might be, in fact, the original painting created by Leonardo. They hired famous restoration specialist Dianne Dwyer Modestini to restore the painting. After a successful restoration process, the painting was displayed in the National Gallery in London, UK, as a work by Leonardo after authentication by the museum’s expert.
Through her restoration efforts, Modestini was convinced that the painting was created by none other than Leonardo based on the comparison of the technique used in “Mona Lisa.” Martin Kemp, considered one of the leading Leonardo experts in the world, also attributed the work to the famous painter, as did Vincent Delieuvin, the chief curator of paintings at the Louvre, and Myriam Eveno and Elisabeth Ravaud from the Louvre’s laboratory C2RMF.
However, a lot of Renaissance art experts and some Leonardo specialists, including art historian Jacques Franck, who had an opportunity to examine “Mona Lisa” out of its frame multiple times, believe that “Salvator Mundi” is the work of Leonardo’s studio with the partial contribution by the Old Master itself. The opinions vary, with some claiming that Leonardo did certain passages and others saying he only did slight retouching. There are some art historians and experts who reject the idea of contributing the painting to Leonardo entirely.
At the moment, “Salvator Mundi” remains a controversial painting for its lack of provenance and opposing opinions on Leonardo’s participation in its making. It is unlikely this will change anytime soon or ever.
The post Here is Why Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” is the World’s Most Controversial Painting appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Price: $250+ million
Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos sold “The Card Players,” painted by French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne, to the Royal Family of Qatar in 2011 for more than $250 million. The exact figure was disputed, but it was the highest paid price for a painting at the time, regardless. The artwork belongs to Cézanne’s series of five paintings that depict card players, with the other four being in museums.
Price: $300 million
“Interchange” is the work of Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. The painting was completed in 1955 and was acquired by architect Edgar Kaufmann Jr. for $4,000 shortly after. In 1989, the painting was sold at an auction for $20.7 million, setting the record for the most expensive painting by a living artist. It was later acquired by David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records, who sold it to billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin in 2015 for around $300 million.
Price: $450.3 million
The undisputed most expensive painting of all time is “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci, for which Prince Badr bin Abdullah paid $450.3 million at an auction in 2017. This was despite the fact that the painting is surrounded by controversy. Its origins are greatly disputed in the art community, with many believing that either one of da Vinci’s pupils painted it themselves or that at least some parts of the painting were painted by someone other than the famous artist. Nevertheless, it remains the most expensive painting of all time.
The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Price: $250+ million
Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos sold “The Card Players,” painted by French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne, to the Royal Family of Qatar in 2011 for more than $250 million. The exact figure was disputed, but it was the highest paid price for a painting at the time, regardless. The artwork belongs to Cézanne’s series of five paintings that depict card players, with the other four being in museums.
Price: $300 million
“Interchange” is the work of Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. The painting was completed in 1955 and was acquired by architect Edgar Kaufmann Jr. for $4,000 shortly after. In 1989, the painting was sold at an auction for $20.7 million, setting the record for the most expensive painting by a living artist. It was later acquired by David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records, who sold it to billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin in 2015 for around $300 million.
Price: $450.3 million
The undisputed most expensive painting of all time is “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci, for which Prince Badr bin Abdullah paid $450.3 million at an auction in 2017. This was despite the fact that the painting is surrounded by controversy. Its origins are greatly disputed in the art community, with many believing that either one of da Vinci’s pupils painted it themselves or that at least some parts of the painting were painted by someone other than the famous artist. Nevertheless, it remains the most expensive painting of all time.
The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Here is Why Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” is the World’s Most Controversial Painting appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>It is believed that “Salvator Mundi,” depicting Jesus Christ in a blue Renaissance dress while he holds a crystal orb in his left hand and makes a cross with his right hand, was created at some point between 1499 and 1504 as a result of a private commission. The painting was possibly mentioned in the estate of Leonardo’s pupil Salaì in 1525, after which it was considered lost or even destroyed. Around 30 copies made by Leonardo’s pupils and showing the same subject surfaced in the meantime.
The “Salvator Mundi” sold at Christie’s auction was thought to be one of the copies and was sold as such at an auction in 1958, being attributed to Leonardo’s pupil Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio. The painting was in bad shape due to overpainting and poor restoration efforts, while its frame was infested by worms.
Art dealers Alexander Parish and Robert Simon acquired the painting for just over $1,000 in 2005 and, after further inspection, concluded it might be, in fact, the original painting created by Leonardo. They hired famous restoration specialist Dianne Dwyer Modestini to restore the painting. After a successful restoration process, the painting was displayed in the National Gallery in London, UK, as a work by Leonardo after authentication by the museum’s expert.
Through her restoration efforts, Modestini was convinced that the painting was created by none other than Leonardo based on the comparison of the technique used in “Mona Lisa.” Martin Kemp, considered one of the leading Leonardo experts in the world, also attributed the work to the famous painter, as did Vincent Delieuvin, the chief curator of paintings at the Louvre, and Myriam Eveno and Elisabeth Ravaud from the Louvre’s laboratory C2RMF.
However, a lot of Renaissance art experts and some Leonardo specialists, including art historian Jacques Franck, who had an opportunity to examine “Mona Lisa” out of its frame multiple times, believe that “Salvator Mundi” is the work of Leonardo’s studio with the partial contribution by the Old Master itself. The opinions vary, with some claiming that Leonardo did certain passages and others saying he only did slight retouching. There are some art historians and experts who reject the idea of contributing the painting to Leonardo entirely.
At the moment, “Salvator Mundi” remains a controversial painting for its lack of provenance and opposing opinions on Leonardo’s participation in its making. It is unlikely this will change anytime soon or ever.
The post Here is Why Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” is the World’s Most Controversial Painting appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Price: $250+ million
Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos sold “The Card Players,” painted by French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne, to the Royal Family of Qatar in 2011 for more than $250 million. The exact figure was disputed, but it was the highest paid price for a painting at the time, regardless. The artwork belongs to Cézanne’s series of five paintings that depict card players, with the other four being in museums.
Price: $300 million
“Interchange” is the work of Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. The painting was completed in 1955 and was acquired by architect Edgar Kaufmann Jr. for $4,000 shortly after. In 1989, the painting was sold at an auction for $20.7 million, setting the record for the most expensive painting by a living artist. It was later acquired by David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records, who sold it to billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin in 2015 for around $300 million.
Price: $450.3 million
The undisputed most expensive painting of all time is “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci, for which Prince Badr bin Abdullah paid $450.3 million at an auction in 2017. This was despite the fact that the painting is surrounded by controversy. Its origins are greatly disputed in the art community, with many believing that either one of da Vinci’s pupils painted it themselves or that at least some parts of the painting were painted by someone other than the famous artist. Nevertheless, it remains the most expensive painting of all time.
The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Price: $250+ million
Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos sold “The Card Players,” painted by French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne, to the Royal Family of Qatar in 2011 for more than $250 million. The exact figure was disputed, but it was the highest paid price for a painting at the time, regardless. The artwork belongs to Cézanne’s series of five paintings that depict card players, with the other four being in museums.
Price: $300 million
“Interchange” is the work of Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. The painting was completed in 1955 and was acquired by architect Edgar Kaufmann Jr. for $4,000 shortly after. In 1989, the painting was sold at an auction for $20.7 million, setting the record for the most expensive painting by a living artist. It was later acquired by David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records, who sold it to billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin in 2015 for around $300 million.
Price: $450.3 million
The undisputed most expensive painting of all time is “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci, for which Prince Badr bin Abdullah paid $450.3 million at an auction in 2017. This was despite the fact that the painting is surrounded by controversy. Its origins are greatly disputed in the art community, with many believing that either one of da Vinci’s pupils painted it themselves or that at least some parts of the painting were painted by someone other than the famous artist. Nevertheless, it remains the most expensive painting of all time.
The post Top 3 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time appeared first on History Chronicle.
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