The World's Most Expensive Painting Has Vanished

In 2017 a battered painting of Christ, attributed (controversially) to Leonardo da Vinci, sold at Christie's for an almost unbelievable $450.3 million — by far the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.

And then it vanished. The 'Salvator Mundi' was due to star at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, but never appeared. It has not been publicly exhibited since, fuelling endless rumours that it hangs on a superyacht or sits in a Swiss freeport.

Scholars still argue over how much of it Leonardo actually painted. Lost masterpiece, clever workshop piece, or the ultimate vanishing act — the riddle of the world's priciest picture remains unsolved.

Image: “Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, c.1500, oil on walnut, 45.4 × 65.6 cm” — Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.