Today’s Memory, November 15 2017: Leonardo Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi Painting Becomes the Most Expensive Work of Art in the World

A copy of the painting Salvator Mundi (survivors of the world) by Da fire. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Today's memory, six years ago, November 15 2017, the painting Salvator Mundi (savior of the world) by Leonardo da Vinci was sold for 450.3 million US dollars or almost IDR 7 trillion, at auction in New York, USA. Da Vinci's work later became the most expensive work of art in the world.

Previously, Da Vinci's image as a genius artist of the 16th century was undeniable. His works invite admiration throughout the world. From the Mona Lisa to The Last Supper. His works are able to inspire many people. In fact, Da Vinci's work is widely discussed worldwide.

Leonardo da Vinci was a great artist of the 16th century. He not only studied the world of painting, but was also widely known as an architect, scientist, sculptor and so on. It all came down to Da Vinci having a high curiosity.

This power made Da Vinci continue to learn and create. Moreover, as a painter. His painting works are in the phenomenal category. The presence of paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper is proof. The results are brilliant. Da Vinci's name was famous in Italy, then the world.

Da Vinci was like a windfall. He was flooded with orders for paintings. He was often asked to paint self-portraits. Sometimes they are asked to make murals in buildings. The work was done well. His works were able to make Da Vinci a respected figure in his environment.

Painting of Leonardo Da Vinci's face. (History/DEA/A. Dagli Orti)

Da Vinci's greatness did not collapse when he died. Da Vinci's name continues to be known until the present era. Da Vinci's work is considered a symbol of the progress of painting. Da Vinci's paintings can also inspire many people to create art.

Novelist Dan Brown, for example. The famous novelist once made Da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper as part of the important idea of ​​his novel The Da Vinci Code (2003). This work is sought after all over the world. Even though Brown actually implies a controversial understanding of Da Vinci's work.

This controversy actually brought a breath of fresh air to Dan Brown's work. The Da Vinci Code was then adopted for the big screen and was successful in 2006. Another good side is that people started discussing Da Vinci again.

“In Leonardo's other masterpiece, The Last Supper, the fictional historian Brown (Robert Langdon) uses this painting to confirm his theories that infuriated Christians. This painting was made by Leonardo at the age of 43 on the wall of the dining room of the Convent of Santa Maria del Grazie in Milan, Italy, when he was a hired painter for Ludovico Sforza, the ruler of Milan at that time. In the painting depicting Jesus' last supper with his 12 disciples."

“Brown designates the figure sitting to the left of Jesus (from our view) as Mary Magdalene. Bulkan John, as Christians have always believed. The reason was, the figure had flowing red hair, his hands were gently held together and his chest looked slightly puffed out. It must be a woman. "The sitting position of Jesus and John, who according to Brown is Mary Magdalene, is also thought to represent the symbol of the letter M. Brown interprets it as matrimonio, or marriage in Latin," said Kurie Suditomo in his writing entitled "Gathering Ideas from Leonardo's Brush" (2006).

Auction atmosphere for the Salvator Mundi painting by Leonardo Da Vinci at Christie's Auction Hall, New York, USA, on November 15 2017. (The New York Times/Michelle V. Agins)

Da Vinci's works continue to be sought after by collectors, even to this day. Anyone who owns or keeps a Da Vinci painting will get a fortune like a windfall. Auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen, for example.

He tried to auction a painting depicting the face of Jesus Christ, Salvator Mundi, by Da Vinci at Christie's auction house, New York, USA on November 15 2017. The painting, which had been lost, was then hunted by rich people all over the world. The proof is that there are rich people who dare to pay a high price for the painting, 450.3 million US dollars. This record sale makes Da Vinci's painting the most expensive work of art in the world.

“The sale positions Salvator Mundi as the highest-priced work sold privately or at auction. The remainder included Pablo Picasso's 1955 Women of Algiers (Version O), sold for USD 179.4 million, and Amedeo Modigliani's 1917 Reclining Nude. 18, sold for USD 170.4 million. "Private sales records are believed to include 250 million US dollars for a painting by Paul Cézanne and 300 million US dollars for a painting by Paul Gauguin," said Edward Helmore in his article on The Guardian page entitled Leonardo da Vinci Painting Sells for $450m at Auction, Smashing Records (2017).