Salvator Mundi

Salvator Mundi, which is among Leonardo da Vinci's most well-known creations, holds the record for the most expensive painting ever to be sold at an open auction. In this image, Jesus is holding a clear orb in his left hand while making the sign of the cross with his right. In addition, he is donning a blue Renaissance dress. This work of art by Leonardo da Vinci has an orb that reflects his persona of Salvador Mundi and symbolizes the heavenly sphere of the skies. This picture by Leonardo da Vinci has been imitated and altered by about thirty of his admirers and pupils.

The unconvincing depiction of the glass globe, which if solid would have reflected a distorted view of its holder—an optical trick that Leonardo would have known about - and the stiff posture, which was so unlike the Renaissance master's characteristic twisting poses, were all criticized by many commentators. The criticisms were dismissed by Christie's, the auction house that oversaw the sale, who pointed out that any lack of craftsmanship was a result of extensive restoration work done in earlier centuries as well as the delicate modeling of Jesus' right hand and the finesse of his tightly curled hair, both of which resembled Leonardo's style. Leonardo would have used the same ingredients in the painting, particularly ultramarine, a costly, high-quality blue pigment frequently employed only by virtuosos. The attribution controversy persisted for a long time after the sale, but the demand for the painting and the high price paid at auction proved to Leonardo's continuing fame and to his significant influence on the canon of art history five centuries after his passing.