Artnet, an art industry news portal, reported that Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” has been spotted for the first time since 2017. According to the portal, the painting is aboard Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s yacht.

The “Salvator Mundi”, a work attributed to the master of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci was missing since its purchase for $ 450 million at an auction by Christie’s, has resurfaced, amid broad speculations.

Indeed, this painting of 65 by 45 centimeters, where Christ emerges from darkness, blessing the world with one hand, while holding a transparent globe in the other, has never been shown in public, raising questions about its buyer, location and even its authenticity.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the buyer is actually the Saudi Prince Bader bin Abdullah, who is acting on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MbS, a speculation that has never been confirmed or denied.

Kenny Schachter, an art collector and dealer based in London, confirms this assumption Monday on the site Artnet.com, devoted to the art market.

“Apparently, the work was embarked in the middle of the night on the plane of MbS and installed on his yacht, the Serene,” he wrote, citing several sources, including two involved in the transaction.

“The painting was found in tatters — divided into five pieces, it had to be attached during its restoration. What harm could it do to him a splash of salt water”, he quips in his tribune.

As per the specialist, the painting will remain in the yacht, parked in the Red Sea, until Saudi Arabia manages to transform the Al-Ula region into a cultural site attracting international tourists.

Some scholars have judged that this painting could have been made by Leonardo’s disciples and not by the master himself. Officially, it was acquired to complete the Louvre Abu Dhabi collection.

Source — https://fr.sputniknews.com/culture/201906111041403772-le-tableau-disparu-de-leonard-de-vinci-se-trouve-t-il-sur-le-yacht-du-prince-saoudien-mbs/