A 500-year-old painting known as Salvator Mundi(or Saviour of the World) believed to have been painted by renown artist Leonardo da Vinci has sold for a record $450 million (R6.3 billion).
The painting sold in New York on Wednesday evening, breaking the record for the most expensive artwork ever sold, despite its authenticity and condition being questioned by some experts.
This is the highest auction price for any work of art. The artist died in 1519 and there no more than 20 of his works in existence.
The painting depicts Jesus Christ in a blue robe holding a crystal orb, which represents the Earth.
Picture: Reuters
There was huge hype surrounding the sale of the 26-inch tall painting, billed by Christie’s as “The Last da Vinci”.
At least four telephone bidders and one person in the auction room battled for the artwork.
" Salvator Mundi is a painting of the most iconic figure in the world by the most important artist of all time," said Loic Gouzer, co-chairman of post-war and contemporary art at Christie's.
The painting, believed to have been painted sometime after 1505, is the only work thought to be in private hands.
The victor, one of the phone bidders, was not immediately identified.