The sale of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci for millions on Wednesday in New York may have broken all the records, but some in the art world are disputing its authenticity.
The depiction of Jesus Christ holding an orb in a painting called “Salvator Mundi” sold for a world record of $450.3 million and was believed to be among the fewer than 20 paintings by the Italian Renaissance master in private hands.
Shortly after the record sale, however, art critic Jason Farago wrote in the New York Times that although he is not in the position to “affirm or reject (the painting’s) attribution,” he believes the so-called masterpiece is “a proficient but not especially distinguished religious picture from turn-of-the-16th-century Lombardy, put through a wringer of restorations.”
Others have also expressed their skepticism whether the painting is by Leonardo.