Is it true that the “Savior of the World” by Leonardo da Vinci is a fake?

In 2017, the picture was sold at an auction for a record $ 450 million, but before that many doubted its authorship. We figured out how reasonable these rumors are.

The picture "Savior of the World" was the first time represented The public as the work of Leonardo da Vinci in 2011 at an exhibition in the London National Gallery. Two years later, as a result of a private transaction, she was Acquired For $ 127.5 million by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. In 2017, at Christie’s Christie’s Reselling This work for $ 450 million Muhammad ibn Salman al-Saudu, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Although after the sale for a record amount attention to "Savior of the world" It increased sharply, some experts before this event doubted its authenticity. Such rumors do not subside to this day. The Russian -speaking press, when retelling of Western news, uses the word "fake". “The most expensive picture in the world was called a fake that has gone with a hammer,” - Reported Lenta.ru in 2017. “The scam of the century:“ Savior ”by Leonardo da Vinci is a fake?” - I wrote "Gazeta.Ru" in 2019. “The most expensive picture was a fake,” - reports The television program "Vesti" in 2021.

To begin with - Unconditional facts. The picture, painted on a typical Italian walnut board with oil paints, is undoubtedly very ancient. Its picturesque layer, as the examinations proved, was really created at the beginning of the 16th century, when Leonardo da Vinci lived. Her stylistic analysis shows the resemblance to the manner of the master and his many students and imitators, who are called "Leonardes". Another important fact: The poor preservation of this colorful layer, numerous loss and very strong fresh "post -evidence". There is no signature of the artist in the picture.

This means that we are not talking about fake in the widespread understanding of this term, when some contemporary artist today creates a new work from scratch, “draws” an alien autograph, skillfully ages the canvas and sells a picture for a lot of money under the guise of an original of old masters. In the case of the Savior of the World, an attribution serves as a problem, that is, a definition of which of the artists of the early 16th century was its author. The attribution of the Leonardo brush in this case can be true or incorrect, and the error in it is conscientious or selfish. Only in the latter case, the story with the sale of a picture for $ 450 million really turns into a scam.

Arguments of supporters of the authenticity of the picture Such: Thanks to numerous copies and variations, it is known that Leonardo da Vinci created a certain “Savior of the world”, which was believed to be either lost, or destroyed. It is known that in the XVII century the picture with this name was in the collection of Charles I English - perhaps we are talking about the original Leonardo. Art Consortium, selling the Savior of the World in 2011, in 2005 bought Its as an anonymous work for € 8500 from a private collection, while the owners traced Provenans (history of origin) precisely before the meeting of the English king.

Within six years from the moment of purchase and the “publication” in the London National Gallery, the owners privately showed the picture to many specialists in Italian painting and representatives of world famous museums. In articles based on information from the owners, Given Lists of experts and institutions that agreed that this is the work of Leonardo da Vinci, based on visual inspection and stylistic analysis. IN catalog The 2011 exhibitions were included precisely as the work of Leonardo, which is a kind of “quality sign” from the museum.

On the other hand, the list of art historians who disagree with such an attribution is great and recall that earlier the authorship of the picture attributed to such students Leonardo as Bernardino Luini and Boltraffios. They indicate on an optical mistake in the image of the crystal sphere, which the Italian genius could hardly allow Very bad condition Pictures and her strong alteration The restorer, and also suggest that the main part of the painting was performed by students and assistants of the artist. Already found the “Savior of the World”, which was actually in the collection of Charles I. It turned outthat this is the picture of the same name by the brush of Jampetrino, the follower of Leonardo, - the belonging proved the stigma on the back. The work is located in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

The answer about the genuine author, it would seem, was supposed to give a study under a microscope. His Spent In 2018, in the Louvre - the main “Leonard” museum - in preparation for the large exhibition of the artist. The study showed that they worked in several stages on the picture: the first head and shoulders were written in the first, and both hands and ball were added later, perhaps another author (at the same time the raised right hand was best preserved part of the picture). That is, the first version of the picture was similar in composition to the “nibble” of the Salai brush with one of the illustrations above.

The problem is that the publication Léonardo de Vinci: Le Salvator Mundi, in which the Louvre reports this valuable information and recognizes the picture for the genius of the Renaissance, was removed from the sales of the same museum - the newspaper The Art Newspaper, which Published Data on this study received a copy of the brochure with the examination "smuggling". The Louvre revoked the book, as the owner of the picture, the Saudi prince, did not provide it for the exhibition, which deprived the museum of the right to publish information about it. The official position of the museum: "Such an edition did not exist." This strange situation is injured by intrigue. In addition, since 2019, the Savior of the World disappeared from sight: the owner does not give him to exhibitions and does not show independent experts. Located in the UAE Louvre-Abu Dhabi, the main masterpiece of which is the picture I had to become, opened in 2017, in the year of purchase, but Leonardo’s masterpiece never reached. This increases suspicions that something is wrong with work.

In 2021 I went out Detailed documentary The Savior For Sale. Its creators, in particular, analyzes how with the help of newspaper hype and video With the practically crying Leonardo Dicaprio, the price of the picture was swollen, which made it the sale of one of the main PR races in the history of the art market. In addition, in the film, two anonymous officials from the French government report that the Louvre (despite the information in the booklet) doubted authorship and wanted to show the picture with the etiquette of Leonardo da Vinci and workshop". It seemed to be angry with Muhammad ibn Salman, who insisted on one name of the artist and demanded that the picture be put next to Mona Lisa. It came to the presidential apparatus, but Macron allegedly refused to satisfy the requirements of the Saudis.

Thus, the situation today is this. One of the most authoritative art history institutions was not able to officially publish its conclusions, and the picture itself is no longer available to specialists for study or the public for examination. Before receiving new data, the versions vary between several options:

• The picture was completely painted by Leonardo himself;
• The picture was started by Leonardo and was completed by his student;
• The picture was mostly created by the student, and Leonardo wrote only one of the details;
• The picture was entirely written by another person from among the students or followers of Leonardo.

Art historians, not related to commercial interests with sellers or owners of the picture, mainly adhere to any of the listed versions, except for the very first. The attribution of the Leonardo brush is still under the sign of question.

Photo on the cover: Getty Images for Christie's AUCTION House / Ilya S. Savenok

This is not for sure

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Picture on the website of the auction house Christie's
2. The Art Newspaper. DISARMING New Findings on Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi
3. M. Daley. Two Developents in the No-Show Louvre Abu Dhabi Leonardo Salvator Mundi Saga
4. Is the story of a “golden boy” and the fault of Leonardo da Vinci in his death?