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Today, 9 December 2017, Artprice confirms that the acquisition of Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi involved geopolitical mediation, and that the Vatican Museums did indeed study the offer

Artprice confirms the contents of its press release of 8 December and, today (9 December), adds further explanations concerning this historic sale:

Artprice Exclusive - Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi at the Louvre Abu Dhabi is likely the result of a geopolitical mediation, involving Anglo-Saxon investment funds, financial firewalls and Mohammad Bin Salman (the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia), who actually bridled the final price paid. The artwork is apparently being insured for around 700 million dollars.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United Arab Emirates, broke off all diplomatic ties with Qatar, which in recents years has established itself as a leading force on the global art market via the Qatar Museum Authority (Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani).

Meanwhile, in accordance with standard practice, the Vatican Museums (12 in total) extensively studied the Salvator Mundi opportunity and particularly how to interpret Da Vinci's Christ iconography.

The series of differents communiqués on the subject by the different protagonists in the sale - each contradicting the previous one - suggests that the painting is theologically explosive, and it is clear that, in the end, the different protagonists preferred to avoid the topic, considering the theological "hotness" as potentially damaging to the success of the sale.

The Salvator Mundi painting may also offend Saudi sensibilities: human portraits and especially portraits of religious figures are forbidden under the strict Saudi brand of Islam, and this one raises particular issues because it depicts Jesus as "Savior of the World" (dixit The New York Times).

In the past, the Vatican Museums always had a clear right to examine, validate and, where appropriate, acquire historical artworks that played a significant role in the propagation of the Christian faith. Although this RC monopoly has gradually receded, it remains valid in the 21st century for all major work of art that depict the symbols of the Christian faith; and the Jesus Christ painted by Leonardo Da Vinci as "Savior of the World" is naturally one such representation.

Artprice can therefore confirm that the sale of the Da Vinci's « Salvator Mundi » did indeed involve geo-political mediation as well as diplomatic management of its religious and theological implications. The final outcome, with the painting being exhibited at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, is therefore the result of all these factors and the insured value of the artwork at 700 million dollars most likely corresponds perfectly to the painting's value in a Museum Industry ® context.