Oxford scholar challenges Salvator Mundi attribution to Leonardo da Vinci
Matthew Landrus, a scholar from Wolfson College at the University of Oxford, raises doubts about the claim that Salvator Mundi is a work of Leonardo da Vinci, proposing that Bernardino Luini was the primary artist. In a discussion with the Guardian, he pointed out resemblances to Luini's "Christ among the Doctors" (1515-30) and estimates that Leonardo's contribution is merely 5-20%, possibly limited to sfumato shading. This revelation could drastically alter the painting's market value. Salvator Mundi fetched $450 million at Christie's New York on November 15, 2017. Its history includes ownership by King Charles I and Charles II, an auction in 1763, a 140-year disappearance, and a rediscovery in 1900, before being attributed to Leonardo post-restoration and purchased by Dmitry Rybolovlev in 2013.
Key facts
- Matthew Landrus of Oxford's Wolfson College questions Leonardo attribution for Salvator Mundi
- Landrus attributes the painting primarily to Bernardino Luini, a Leonardo assistant
- Landrus estimates only 5-20% of the work is by Leonardo
- Salvator Mundi sold for $450 million at Christie's New York on November 15, 2017
- The painting was first recorded in the collection of King Charles I
- In 1900 it was bought as a work by Luini by Sir Charles Robinson
- In 1958 it sold at Sotheby's for £45
- The painting was exhibited at the National Gallery in London in 2011-2012
Entities
Artists
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Bernardino Luini
- Matthew Landrus
Institutions
- University of Oxford
- Wolfson College
- Christie's
- The Guardian
- National Gallery of London
- Sotheby's
- Louvre Abu Dhabi
Locations
- New York
- London
- Abu Dhabi
- Paris
- Anchiano
- Amboise
- Dumenza
- Milan