Sold 50 euros, the picture turns out to be a Leonardo da Vinci!!!

A painting by Leonardo da Vinci was rediscovered in the United States, Milton tells the magazine ARTnews Esterow. The painting, an oil painting on wood entitled Salvator Mundi (Savior of the world), represents Christ's right arm raised in blessing, his left hand holding an orb (that is to say, a globe) .

It was bought by a consortium of art dealers, including Robert Simon, a specialist in old masters, in an estate sale for 45 pounds (50 euros). In 2009 and presented to a panel of experts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to authenticate it. The consortium would ask, if it were sold, nearly $ 200 million (138 million), according to ARTnews.

The Salvator Mundi, before renovation.

An anonymous source close to the Metropolitan Museum says:

"Painting has been forgotten for years. When she found herself in an auction, [Robert] Simon bought it, making the bet that it was an original painting of Leonardo da Vinci. The painting had been heavily repainted, giving it the air of a copy. It was a ruin dark and gloomy. It had been cleaned several times in the past by people who did not know how. Even put a renovator of synthetic resin on the board, it had become gray and had to be removed carefully. When they removed the excess layers of paint, the original painting was unveiled. Everyone could see the paint incredibly difficult. And all agreed to say that Leonardo was the painter. "

Expertise shared by Pietro Mariani, art historian and restorer in Italy array. He was part of a group of four experts who have seen the picture during its renovation in 2010. Asked by the Telegraph, it states that "before the renovation, the picture was in very poor condition, covered with old paint. But during the renovation, the quality of the picture emerged-the colors wonderful, the blue and red dress (the Christ), that recall the Last Supper. "

The first owner of the painting is, according to the Telegraph, Charles 1st, King of England. The array is then passed to his successor, Charles II, but then lost until its purchase by Sir Francis Cook in the nineteenth century. It was later sold at Sotheby's to the death of Francis Cook, and cataloged as the work of Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, a follower of Leonardo da Vinci.

The table should be presented at the opening of the exhibition "Leonardo da Vinci, painter at the court of Milan," which opens Nov. 9, 2011 at the National Gallery in London.

Source slate.fr

http://www.slate.fr/lien/40595/tableau-devinci-decouverte