The Discovery & Restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's Long-Lost Painting 'Salvator Mundi' | Robb Report

Leonardo da Vinci is one of history's greatest artists and thinkers. Only about 15 of his paintings are known to exist and one was thought to be lost forever. Leonard painted that masterpiece, called "Salvator Mundi" (Savior of the World) around 1500. It was owned by no less than three kings and, in 1763, it disappeared. This video tells the story of that incredible painting, how it was rediscovered in 2005, and what happened when it went to auction at Christie's in November 2017.

Secret Histories of Rare Treasures spotlights the stories behind items that amaze historians, elude collectors, and intrigue audiences. Through original and never-before-seen footage, in-depth archival research, and expert interviews, Robb Report brings these awe-inspiring narratives to life. Developed in coordination with Robb Report’s editors and produced by the brand’s in-house custom-content and video agency Robb Report Studio, the editorial series explores the hidden lives of extremely rare and amazingly valuable items often found in the pages of Robb Report.

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[burnedpower]

Imagine being the guy that sold this at his garage sale for only a couple thousand later to find out it sells for 400 million.... crazy

[huntercrosby]

Can you even imagine the feeling of RETOUCHING Leonardo Da Vinci's painting? Of painting on the same surface as one of the greatest artists and scientists of all time? My God. I'd throw up.

[killr]

Thought this was a Baumgartner I’ll be going now

[frankyboy]

So, really, there is nothing much about the actual restauration in this video :/

[granny-nyan]

I like the painting itself but the way this woman talks about it is the true treasure

[jadeddragon]

Can’t even imagine sharing the same canvas as Leonardo, that restorer is unbelievably lucky

[jnorth]

This painting of Jesus sold for $450, 000, 000. Judas must feel like he got ripped off, considering he only got $216.25 for the REAL Jesus.

[DakuJTenshi]

Everyone: it's clearly a painting of jesus and his religious belief
Leonardo: meets random dude that happen to look like jesus "ey let me paint you I need to finish my quota"

[kensellar]

Many of today's great artists are without a doubt the restorers like this woman who can feel the brush of the original artist guiding her own as caresses the canvas with her own brush, and brings to life the emotion and the genius of a man like Da Vinci. Bravo to both of these incredible artists.

[Shaftygod]

If you came here to watch the restoration of the painting, turn back. There is nothing here for you.

[thesuperparrot]

Pawn Stars be like: I see you bought the Salvator Mundi for $450, 000, 000. Best I can give you for the piece is 15 bucks and not a penny more and I'm assuming all the risk here. There's just not a huge market for lost Leonardo da Vinci paintings out there

[joax]

Mr. Bean's painting of "whistler's mother" is still the best

[frankblangeard]

Just happened to be found in Louisiana, U.S.A. Oh yeah. I had better check my closet. Probably some long lost masterpieces in my closet.

[nickzproductions]

These people have $400, 000, 000 to spare and i had to ask for a ride to work tomorrow...

[ginnykrauskopf]

They didn't just invite in da Vinci experts to look at the painting and say that it was. Once they saw what was underneath the overpainting, science came to the forefront. Carbon dating of a small sample from the original paint would give them evidence of age. The paint sample would also be chemically analyzed to see if it matched that of other da Vinci paintings. Each artist has a particular style of brushstrokes, which experts would already be very familiar with.

[raemarie]

I've had a print of this Da Vinci in my home for years & even as just a print it's powerful.

[Lil_refresha]

I don't know... there's something about Christ's eyes in this painting that seems dark, distant, and very eerie. But the gold in the curls of his hair is like a halo that keeps me from being absolutely terrified by the painting. I know it's weird but the eyes leave me just a bit creeped out.

[bettiraige]

I've never seen or heard anything about this painting until today. I cried at its beauty and the magical way it came to the perfect person to bring it back. Wonderful piece.

[JV-bcum]

Am I the only one who thinks paintings should be in museums for everyone to see

[HadoukenSpammer]

This should be in a museum, not in a private collection.