IN OTHER ART WORLD NEWS A PAINTING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI JUST BROKE AUCTION RECORDS. YEP, THE SAME PAINTER BEHIND THE MONA LISA - DA VINCI IS AMONG THE ACCLAIMED OLD MASTERS. AN OLD MASTER REFERS TO A SKILLFUL PAINTER WHO WORKED IN EUROPE BEFORE 1800. BESIDES DA VINCI PERHAPS YOU’VE HEARD OF RAPHAEL, CARAVAGGIO, OR RUBENS.
NICK GLASS TELLS US MORE ABOUT THE LATEST PAINTING FOR SALE.
NICK MANIFESTLY, A PAINTING WITH AN AURA. A PRESENCE.
JESUS CHRIST. SALVATOR MUNDI. SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.... BY LEONARDO DA VINCI.
FOR A COLLECTOR, IT'S OBVIOUSLY A TROPHY WORK OF ART.
THE RAREST OF THE RARE.
ONE OF FEWER THAN 20 OIL PAINTINGS.
IT WAS FIRST PUBLICLY DISPLAYED IN LONDON'S NATIONAL GALLERY IN A LEONARDO EXHIBITION IN 2011.
RICHARD STEMP, ART HISTORIAN: "IT'S A WONDERFUL GHOST OF A PAINTING. THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS HIGHLY DAMAGED. THE SURFACE HAS CLEARLY BEEN STRIPPED BACK. BUT STILL YOU GET THIS WONDERFUL MYSTERIOUS PRESENCE GAZING OUT FROM OF THE DARKNESS TOWARDS YOU."
NICK: IN ADVANCE OF THIS AUCTION, CHRISTIE'S TOOK IT ON A WORLD TOUR.
AND NATURALLY, IT ATTRACTED CROWDS AND A LOT OF MOBILE PHONES.
SOT…I THINK THAT DA VINCI IS JUST A MAGIC NAME
SUPER; REBECCA WEI, CHRISTIE'S ASIA:"FRANKLY, THERE ARE BETTER PRESERVED LEONARDOS.
NICK: YOU COULD SEE THAT IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY EXHIBITION IN 2011.
AND WHEN YOU COMPARE IT WITH THE MONA LISA - PAINTED PRETTY MUCH AT THE SAME TIME - IN ABOUT 1500 - YOU CAN SEE THAT IT HAS LOST SOME OF ITS DETAIL AND COLOUR.
THE QUALITY OF THE PAINTING IS MOST VISIBLE IN ITS LOWER HALF - CHRIST'S BLESSING HAND - AND THE CRYSTAL ORB IN HIS LEFT.
THE UPPER HALF WAS HEAVILY OVERPAINTED - CHRIST HAD RED HAIR AND BEARD. AND NEEDED DELICATE CLEANING AND RESTORATION.
DIANNE MODESTINI SPENT SIX YEARS - OFF AND ON - WORKING ON IT IN HER STUDIO IN NEW YORK.
DIANNE DWYER MODESTINI, OLD MASTER RESTORER: IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO HELP IT AS MUCH AS YOU COULD. AND NOT IN ANY WAY SUPPRESS THIS EXTRAORDINARY SPIRITUAL QUALITY THAT IT HAD. HARD TO PART WITH IT? YES. TERRIBLE. IT WAS LIKE A BREAK UP. YA….
NICK: SINCE MODESTINI LET IT GO - THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO SOME OF THE MURKIER WHEELER DEALINGS OF THE ART MARKET
CRUDELY, SOME PEOPLE SIMPLY SAW DOLLAR SIGNS SPINNING IN THOSE MISTY EYES.
HERE'S A BRIEF HISTORY.
2005 - ACQUIRED AT A SALE IN LOUISIANA BY AN AMERICAN DEALER FOR A BARGAIN TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS OR LESS.
THE WORK WAS LISTED AS A LEONARDO COPY.
EIGHT YEARS LATER - 2013 - AS AN AUTHENTICATED WORK BY THE MASTER - IT WAS SOLD PRIVATELY BY SOTHEBY'S FOR $80 MILLION.
THE NEW OWNER - A SWISS ART AGENT, YVES BOUVIER - WAS A MAN WITH AN EYE FOR A QUICK PROFIT.
WITHIN A FEW DAYS, HE SOLD IT ON FOR A WHOPPING $127 AND A HALF MILLION….
.. TO AN OLD CLIENT, RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE ART COLLECTOR, DIMTRY RYBOLOVLEV. (REE -BOL-OVLEV)
IN 2014, THE RUSSIAN FOUND OUT ABOUT THE HEFTY SIZE OF MR BOUVIER'S MARK UP.
HE TOOK LEGAL ACTION IN 2015. THE CASE IS STILL ONGOING.
CHRISTIE'S RECENTLY APPROACHED MR. RYBOLOVLEV
TO SELL THE PAINTING.
HE AGREED.
AND SO THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD - ORIGINALLY COMMISSIONED BY A FRENCH KING, LOUIS THE TWELFTH AND ONCE OWNED BY AN ENGLISH ONE, CHARLES THE FIRST - IS DESTINED TO FIND A NEW OWNER.
IT'S ALREADY GUARANTEED TO SELL FOR AT LEAST $100 MILLION.
AND THAT WILL SET A NEW WORLD RECORD AUCTION PRICE FOR AN OLD MASTER PAINTING.
IT'S UNLIKELY TO BE ECLIPSED FOR SOME TIME.
RICK: THANKS NICK. THE DA VINCI PAINTING BLEW PAST PREDICTIONS THAT IT WOULD SELL FOR 100 MILLION DOLLARS AND SOLD FOR AN ALL-TIME AUCTION RECORD OF 450 POINT 3 MILLION DOLLARS.
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