Amidst the mystery of crime against ancient artifacts, two new documentaries have come out telling the story of Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mandi painting. Karin James has described it.
Leonardo da Vinci's world's most expensive salvator mandi painting (picture) is hidden somewhere in Saudi Arabia by order of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or no one in the world knows exactly where this painting is? According to most people, the picture is the same in the Gulf countries.
According to some, it is hidden in the tax-free zone of Geneva, or in some of the prince's billions of yachts. But is it really Leonardo's? Called "The Savior of the World" by Jesus Christ, the painting was the last painting of Leonardo da Vinci to be auctioned at Christie's in 2017. There it sold for a record 45 450 million.
It was purchased by bin Salman's representative. (It was Bin Salman who was convicted by the CIA of ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.) Have been growing.
The story of the Salvator Mandi painting, which has emerged from various stages of international conspiracy and storytelling, is an interesting saga in history.
'The Lost Leonardo' and 'Savior for Sale: The Vinci's Lost Masterpiece?' The saga is now being brought to the fore through these two new documentaries. In it, the story is told in a dramatic way, like the story of a very mysterious spy. These stories are based on information from Ben Lewis's 2019 high profile book, The Last Leonardo, and several articles.
This ancient and historical painting from the time of 1500 AD disappeared for about 200 years. During this time the picture was badly damaged and was later repaired. It was also frequently auctioned or sold. It is alleged that the ambassador provided the information to Leonardo O'Connell. But now the solver market has become the center of money, power, politics of rights.
"When we chose the name, the painting was lost and the truth was lost, but it was also inspired by Indiana Jones's Treasure Hunt," said Andres Dalsgaard, producer and author of the documentary The Lost Leonardo, to BBC Culture. Said while speaking.
When it was auctioned off at the New Orleans Auction House in 2005, the way was paved for Leonardo's discovery of the treasure. At the time, it was bought by two New York merchants for just 11 1,175. The two brought the painting to Dia Modestini.
Diana was famous for her paintings of that time. He gave this painting a new look. They were the first to guess that it belonged to Leonardo.
The Lost Leonardo is the epitome of two documentaries, with beautiful descriptions as well as a variety of voices from businessmen, historians, and investigative journalists. The documentary has benefited from the use of Modestini as the main character. Their work on the screen is fascinating. At the same time, they have a beautiful voice and big eyes behind black or red framed glasses.
He was instrumental in restoring old damaged paintings to their original form. What is special is that they have done this work with great enthusiasm. Through that, he has tried to maintain and bring out the truth by bringing out even the finest details. In this picture, they have pointed out that the thumb of Jesus or the stroke on his face can only be Leonardo's. But many experts say that they have changed the picture a lot.
The Salvator Mandi is a masterpiece of Diane Modestini's art. In the documentary, historian Frank Zolner mockingly says that Modestini has done more in his style of painting than Leonardo himself.
Zolner compiled a picture of Leonardo and created a catalog of it. So, according to Modestini, he has revamped the painting by studying it scientifically and has also published its information.
This painting may have been created by Leonardo's assistants and may have been finalized by Leonardo. Today, most experts agree on this. Because that's what was usually done then. But every time there is uncertainty in the story of this picture. So no one knows if the pictures are Leonardo's, Lewis told BBC Culture. So you too can participate in this sport. You can create your own Da Vinci Code on the solver market.
People are divided on the quality of the picture. This is not a very good picture. Compared to the paintings of the great Leonardo, it is quite backward. So, according to those who believe in it, actually seeing this painting was an unforgettable experience. (Maybe that's why, but the picture looks more open in the documentary and other photos as well.)
Considering the very important information given in both the documentaries, it does not say much about painting or art. In the documentary The Lost Leonardo, Ivan Beard, a Bank of America official and involved in the investment of such historical artifacts, was seen talking about the purpose of using the artwork of the general public or their use for mortgaging.
The documentary does not even mention the role of the pictures. On the contrary, it is said that the picture is of Leonardo, forcing consumers, museums and merchants to make millions and try to gain publicity.
'Colorful characters'
The painting, which was exhibited at the National Gallery in London in 2011, was presented to Leonardo da Vinci. So there was a big argument. In both documentaries, the exhibition's organizer, Luke Season, makes it clear that he is adamant. But many experts say this is a very early conclusion in front of the camera and in other media.
Alison Cole, editor of The Art, has written about the painting in detail. He had also seen the picture in the National Gallery.
Diane Modestini is already working on it. But when I saw it, I didn't think it was Leonardo's autograph, "he told BBC Culture. But even so, the exhibition helped him gain recognition.
Two years later, a few more colorful characters entered the game. Yes Bouvier, a Swiss antiquities merchant, bought the painting from a New York merchant for a Russian customer named Dmitry Rybolovlev. He bought the painting for कोटी 83 million. Two days later, he sold the painting to Rybolovlev for कोटी 127.5 million. It was all part of the business, Bowier said in The Lost Leonardo.
"You want to buy cheaper and sell at a higher price." (Authorities in Switzerland investigated Rybolovlev for fraudulently selling a number of works of art, but this year the case was closed without punishment.)
The painting's journey toward Christie's auction began when he realized that he had boiled over कोटी 44 million.
The sale through Christie was actually a big dramatic event. It started with a publicity video. The video did not show the painting but only a few faces. Most of those faces were normal. But one of them was the actor Leonardo DiCaprio. They were looking at the picture as if they were actually looking at Jesus.
The buyer was anonymous. But the New York Times reported that the soon-to-be buyer was bidding for Bin Salman. So it turned out that the picture was in a new geographical area. Bin Salman was then trying to improve the image of Saudi Arabia by relaxing some restrictions.
Those who have been watching the artefacts thought that the painting "Salvator Mandi" might be the main attraction in the country's major museums. But since then till now this picture has not come before the public.
In fact, the picture was likely to come out in public. On the occasion of Leonardo da Vinci's 500th birthday, the famous Louvre Museum in France wanted to present this picture in an exhibition. Bin Salman himself had met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The Salvator Market space was also left vacant during the press preview of the exhibition. But in the end, it did not reach the exhibition.
The New York Times confirmed that the Louvre had not been able to meet Bin Salman's demands. He had demanded that the painting be given the same quality in the same room in which the world-famous Mona Lisa is kept.
The Louvre Museum is supported by the French government, the Ministry of Culture and Macron, so it is involved in politics and culture. So if Saudi Arabia had decided to open its cultural doors, the role of the Salvator Market would have been paramount. Everything could have been better if we had taken it, "Cole told BBC Culture.
The Louvre Museum was preparing to publish a 46-page book. It was claimed that the picture belonged to Leonardo. But it was never published. Cole was the first to announce this in March 2020. The Louvre could not comment on works of art that were privately owned and not presented to the public. So the book was never published, and the museum said there was no such book, says Cole.
Scams and conspiracies
Anthony Whitkini's Savior for Cell provides some more explosive information about what exactly happened behind the scenes in the Louvre case. Like The Lost Leonardo, the documentary also features a presentation. But it has been done in a different way and using different views of the city. It does not include Modestini or similar practitioners. But it involves two unknown formulas. His identity has not been released.
However, high-ranking officials in the French government are aware of the study of Louvre's paintings, as well as discussions between France and Saudi Arabia. According to one of them, Leonardo was not involved in the painting, as the name implies. But Bin Salman would only approve the loan if he officially approved the Salvator Mandi painting to be Leonardo's painting.
According to sources, he advised the government that "demonstrating this in a Saudi environment is tantamount to turning a blind eye to the 45 450 million it has been calculated for."
The Louvre and the National Gallery, meanwhile, have not commented on the documentary.
While films, podcasts, and pop culture have been fascinated by such artistic crimes, mysteries, and counterfeit stories, these two documentaries have come out. Last year, the case at the Nodler Gallery in New York came to light through two documentaries, 'Made You Look' and 'Driven to Abstraction'. He has been selling counterfeit art for almost 20 years.
They were sold under the guise of artwork by Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. But did they do it knowingly or unknowingly? This question still remains. The series 'This Is Robbery' on Netflix is based on a 1990 case of plagiarism. That includes the theft of Rembrandt's artwork from the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The details of the conspiracy, including the mystery of the robbery that never escaped, are presented in this series.
Lewis has brought eight new episodes of 'Art Bust'. It tells the story of crimes against ancient artifacts, plots, conspiracies, scams and the dark side of it all. These range from the crime of Inigo Filbrick selling more than 100% shares of antique art to customers to the ancient golden coffin smuggled into Egypt.
The coffin was discovered by actress Kim Kardashian in a photo taken in front of the coffin at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute (Gala). The coffin was later returned to Egypt. Even in unseen podcasts, stories that only listen to the characters are gaining popularity. This shows how fascinating the mystery stories of these ancient and expensive artefacts are today.
The reason why popular crime stories about such ancient and famous works of art are so popular is because many things come together. There is so much public information about this that everyone feels like it's happening right in front of us. There are now several platforms available to tell these stories. Lewis says the approach has changed as the market has grown.
Considering the crimes in the context of these works of art, the general understanding was that the game of money was being played by billionaires to squabble with each other. But now everyone is aware that you cannot plunder the cultural heritage of a country in this way.
In all this complicated history until new documents are found (after so many centuries it doesn’t seem possible) or is the picture true? Until a new classical method of finding it emerges (which is also difficult because the picture is so bad), the solver market doesn't seem to be competing. Therefore, it will be revealed that this mystery is true. I'm sure something new will come out in the next six months or a year. "Whether it's real or not, it's spread everywhere," Dallasgaard said.
"As long as this picture is hidden from the world and no one knows its future, such mysteries will continue and the world will always want to know something new. Because in the end, it is an interesting story."
The documentary 'The Lost Leonardo' has been released in the US and will be released in England on September 10, while 'Savior for Sale' will be released in the US on September 17.
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