Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi

Selected Articles on the Discovery of Leonardo's Salvator Mundi

2012-02-23T14:30:00.006-08:00

Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519)

Salvator Mundi
Oil on panel, 25 13/16 x 17 7/8 inches (65.6 x 45.4 cm)
Private Collection

News of the discovery of Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi began appearing at the end of May and beginning of June 2011. Several articles and internet postings reported the existence of the painting, but often with considerable inaccuracies, most alarmingly the illustration of the wrong painting. Those listed below are better informed, but inevitably there are some errors.

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From The Art Newspaper, Martin Bailey's articles from September, 2011.

From ARTnews, Milton Esterow's "Rediscovering a Leonardo", published in October 2011.

From The Sunday Times Magazine, Kathy Brewis' "Leonardo? Convince Me" from October 10, 2011.

From The Guardian, Jonathan Jones "Leonardo's 'lost' Christ, sold for £45 in 1956 – now valued at £120m" from July 12, 2011 and his "Leonardo da Vinci: art's mystery man" from July 13, 2011.

From the Antiques Trade Gazette, Alex Capon's articles from July 18th, 2011, "National Gallery Approves New Leonardo Discovery" and "Salvator Mundi: condition and provenance".

From The History Blog, "Lost Leonardo Painting Discovered", posted on July 8, 2011.

And from Stacy Bolton Communications, the Official Press Releases (Shortened Version and Extended Version), released to the public on July 7, 2011.

Scholarly Publications of the Painting

2012-02-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Luke Syson

Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan, by Luke Syson, Larry Keith et. al., London , exh. cat. London 2011, pp. 282-3, 298-303, cat. no. 91.

A pdf version of the catalogue entry.

The exhibition catalogue is available for purchase here on the National Gallery Website and also available here on Amazon.com.

Martin Kemp

Leonardo (revised edition) Oxford 2011, especially pp. 208f, pl. 19. Available for purchase here from Oxford University Press and also here on Amazon.com.

Christ to Coke; How Image Becomes Icon, Oxford 2012, especially pp. 35f, fig. 1.12. Available for purchase here from Oxford University Press and also here on Amazon.com.

“Sight and Salvation,” in Nature, vol. 479, November 11, 2011, pp. 174-5.

Fuller Discussions of the Salvator Mundi

2012-02-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

H. Niyazi’s probing analysis in Three Pipe Problem (online)

Bendor Grosvenor’s extensive coverage in Art History News (online):

A new $200million Leonardo Discovery? (June 25, 2011)
Salvator Mundi, National Gallery Statement (July 13, 2011)
The Story Behind the Discovery of Leonardo (October 9, 2011)
First Footage of Salvator Mundi (October 31, 2011)
Leonardo Exhibition - an in depth review (November 8, 2011)
Salvator Mundi, Dude (November 8, 2011)
And now for something completely different... (November 9, 2011)
Did Durer See Salvator Mundi? (November 15, 2011)
Waldemar on Leonardo (November 16, 2011)
Salvator Mundi - its all balls (November 21, 2011)

Andrew M. Goldstein, “The Male ‘Mona Lisa’?: Art Historian Martin Kemp on Leonardo da Vinci's Mysterious ‘Salvator Mund i,’ Artinfo (November 17, 2011)

Video & Radio Media Coverage

2012-02-23T13:20:00.005-08:00

Da Vinci: The Lost Treasure (shown above)

This hour-long documentary presented by Fiona Bruce was first broadcast on BBC1 on October 31, 2011. Produced by Roger Parsons and Julian Birkett

The documentary can be viewed on YouTube here.
A description of the program is here.
Some comments by Fiona Bruce are here.
An eight-minute excerpt from the program, posted by Three Pipe Problem, can be viewed here.

Leonardo – The Lost Painting

This thirty-minute documentary was first broadcast on CNN International on November 11, 2011. Presented by Nick Glass

The program is described here and three excerpts are available for viewing online:

A recent program from Nick Glass, 'Mona lisa 'twin' goes on display' (2/21/12), which can be seen below, features an excerpt on the Salvator Mundi and a brief appearance by Robert Simon.

Leonardo Live

A live HD film of the exhibition opening by Sky Arts first broadcast in cinemas and on SkyArts November 8, 2011.It will be broadcast internationally from February 16, 2012 on. For information and a preview see: http://leonardolivehd.com

The program is described here.
A BBC news clip about the broadcast is here. In this clip, the actress Fiona Shaw can be seen discussing the Salvator Mundi at 2:29.

The Leonardo Detectives

In this radio program, first broadcast November 7, 2011, on BBC4, Rachel Campbell-Johnson, chief art critic for The Times, discusses questions of art attribution, including the Salvator Mundi.

A podcast of the program is available here.

Voice of Russia

Andrew Hiller’s radio interview with Robert Simon on The Voice of Russia, broadcast November 19, 2011, can be heard here: http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/19/60630464.html

Leonardo da Vinci exhibition: the rediscovery of Salvator Mundi

Alistair Sooke, Art Critic of The Telegraph, speaks with curator Luke Syson about the Salvator Mundi, available for viewing here.

Leonardo da Vinci –Painter at the Court of Milan

A seven-minute video featuring curator Luke Syson in conversation with presenter Joy Bolli inside the National Gallery exhibition. The Salvator Mundi is discussed at the 5:20 mark. Available on YouTube here.

Leonardo da Vinci: 'An artist who deserves every bit of his fame'

Jonathan Jones, art critic for The Guardian, speaks about the National Gallery exhibition in this five-minute video filmed in the exhibition.Available on The Guardian's website, here. His response to the Salvator Mundi is at 3:41.

BBC News broadcast: “Da Vinci Exhibition displays recently authenticated portrait”

David Sillito of the BBC with a misidentified Luke Syson (Salvator Mundi at 2:07). Available here.

Welt Ereignis DaVinci beglückt London

A German television report (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) from November 9, 2011 on the exhibition with comments from a special friend at 1:37. The Salvator Mundi appears at 1:55. Available here.

Leonardo alla National Gallery

Report from RAI television with comments on the Salvator Mundi from curator Arturo Galansino at :33, available for viewing here.

Kulturzeit.

A 7-minute report on the exhibition broadcast on Kulturzeit 3sat. The Salvator Mundi is at 6:11, and the clip is available here.

Salvator Mundi IMF Video

The music of Palestrina accompanies this 4 ½ minute look at the painting. Watch and listen here.

Salvator Mundi in Popular Culture!

2012-02-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Salvator Mundi appears in Assassins Creed Embers, an animated short part of the new release of the video game Assassins Creed (with thanks for the reference and capture to Hasan Niyazi of
Three Pipe Problem).

Interviews with Robert Simon, and Dianne Dwyer Modestini

2012-02-23T13:10:00.001-08:00

Many articles in the press have alluded to the roles Robert Simon and Dianne Dwyer Modestini played in the rediscovery of Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi. Please find below the interviews given by the art historian and conservator, respectively, in recent months.

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Ben Hoyle's interview with Robert Simon from the The Times, "It's kind of scary - I wrapped it in a bin liner and jumped in a taxi with it" published November 12, 2011 and then reprinted as "Saviour of the world's lost Leonardo treasure" in The Australian on November 16, 2011.

Megan Doll's interview with Dianne Dwyer Modestini, "The Lost Leonardo; a Master's Priceless Work is Found" for NYU Alumni Magazine, Fall 2011.

Jean Dommermuth's interview with Dianne Dwyer Modestini in the NYU-IFA Conservation Center Newsgram, January 2012.

Interview with Dr. Margaret Dalivalle

2012-02-23T13:05:00.001-08:00

Dr. Margaret Dalivalle with a portrait of King Charles II from the 17th century. Private Collection.

On Dr. Margaret Dalivalle research into the provenance of the Salvator Mundi:

http://www.oriel.ox.ac.uk/da-vinci

Reviews of Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan at the National Gallery

2012-02-23T12:50:00.001-08:00

The following are a few reviews written about the exhibition, Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan.

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Martin Bailey, in The Art Newspaper, November 2011

Waldemar Januszcak, of The Sunday Times, from Waldemar's own site, see his "Exceptional... unmissable" from November 4th, 2011.

Richard Dorment, in The Telegraph, November 7, 2011

Christopher Knight, in the Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2011

Rachel Campbell-Johnston, in The Times, November 4, 2011

Some Different Things

2012-02-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

Blogs, Discussions, Insights, Revelations

The Salvator Mundi and the Shroud of Turin

Male/Female at Lipstick Alley

http://www.lipstickalley.com/f246/salvator-mundi-lost-da-vinci-found-restored-345709/

The Washington Redskins Football Perspective

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?358666-A-New-DaVinci-Painting-discovered

Wet Canvas Discussion

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=955520

UFO Forum Discussion

http://www.ufoforum.it/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10646

From Osaka, Lost in Translation

http://cosmopolitantourism.blogspot.com/2011/08/leonardo-da-vinci-salvator-mundi-me.html

http://cosmopolitantourism.blogspot.com/2011/11/salvator-mundi-is-start.html

The Yoga Perspective

http://love-life-yoga.blogspot.com/2011/12/leonardo-da-vinci-i-do-love-you.html

Eliakim Wisdom Called

http://academysounds.blogspot.com/2011/07/savior-of-world-salvator-mundi.html

Pedro Okoro, Crushing the Devil

http://crushingthedevil.blogspot.com/2011/12/small-matter-of-leonardo-da-vincis.html

Wayne Herschel, Crystal Ball Reflection

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150367074822616&set=a.57011397615.69188.564222615&type=1&theater

Queen Mudder

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s1i101608

Derek Bair

http://derekbair.blogspot.com/2011/08/salvator-mundi-savior-of-world-by.html

And for an opposing point of view:

http://michaelmwd.blogspot.com/

Further Thoughts, Comments and Speculations

2012-02-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

Alva Noë on National Public Radio, available here.
Hebe Wilcock, on the Kindred of the Quiet Way blog, post here.
Peony of Tang Dynasty Times, available here.
The Barefood Baklesa, available here.
Richard Rabel, The Modern Sybarite, his post here.
Jay Voss, in viz. Available here.
Tim Spanton, “Clues that helped identify ‘lost’ Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece,” The Sun, Nov. 8, 2011—alas, wholly inaccurate but available here.
Alex Belsey, in Stet, King’s College, London. Available here.

The New York Times on Leonardo Live!

2012-02-15T14:24:00.013-08:00

Roberta Smith reviews Leonardo Live! for
The New York Times.
Read the article here!

USA Today on Leonardo Live!

2012-02-14T07:55:00.007-08:00

Review of Leonardo Live! in USA Today (2/14/12).
Read the article here!

Leonardo Live!

2012-02-10T10:11:00.002-08:00

"A first-of-its-kind cinema event debuts in movie theaters across the country for only one night -- LEONARDO LIVE, a cinematic tour of the sold-out National Gallery (UK) exhibition "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan", created especially for movie theater audiences. Presented by NCM Fathom, BY Experience and PhilGrabskyFilms.com, LEONARDO LIVE appears on the big screen on Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. local time.

Captured live on November 8, 2011, LEONARDO LIVE provides a virtual walk-through of the exhibit, with exclusive commentary from scholars and curators. Hosted by highly respected art historian Tim Marlow and presenter Mariella Frostrup, the exhibition brings together the largest number of da Vinci’s rare surviving painting and some international loans. While numerous exhibitions have looked at da Vinci as an inventor, scientist or draughtsman, this is the first to be dedicated to his aims and techniques as a painter." - Leonardo Live!

The Leonardo Live! website also has the calendar for showings in other cities and the theater listings for New York on February 16th, go online here for all dates,
and to buy tickets through Fathom Events.

For New York City showings, you can go here to enter your zipcode and find the screening closest to you.

News of the World

2012-01-30T13:33:00.009-08:00

Detail: Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi. © 2011 Salvator Mundi LLC
Photograph: Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art

The discovery of the Salvator Mundi has been covered throughout the world.

Below a selection:

China

Czech Republic

France

www.liberation.fr
Didier Rykner, in La Tribune de l’Art (online), November 12, 2011

Germany

Greece

Indonesia

Italy

beinlondra.it
www.ilgiornaledellarte.com
Pierluigi Panza, “Il Salvator Mundi ritrovato in America,” in Corriere della Sera, July 1, 2011 and a post from July 13, 2011

Romania (with much on iconography)

Russia

Spain

Sudan

Turkey

Vietnam

Reproductions of Salvator Mundi

2012-01-30T13:27:00.001-08:00

While the painting is on view in the exhibition at the National Gallery, high-quality print reproductions are available for purchase from the National Gallery shop:

High-quality reproductions are no longer available.

Postcards are also available, here.

Extraodinary Lines at the National Galleryfor Leonardo da Vinci

2011-12-03T11:12:00.001-08:00

Advance Tickets Completely Sold Out,
Spectators Can Still Queue For 500 Spots Daily

Image: From The Telegraph, Nov. 9th, 2011

As many know, Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan has been completely sold out for weeks! However, for those who were not lucky enough to purchase them beforehand, the National Gallery has held back 500 tickets to be sold each day for those who queue outside the museum. Though the lines have been long so far, for those who get there early enough there is still a chance to see this show.

Sadly, this high demand for tickets has led to the resale of previously purchased tickets and the National Gallery has issued a dire warning to any that buy admission throw these secondhand dealers. All tickets purchased through other channels will be considered void and will not be granted admission to the exhibition.

The show runs through February 4th.

Leonardo: Painter at the Court of MilanNational Gallery, London, UK

2011-09-30T07:58:00.001-07:00

Leonardo: Painter at the Court of Milan
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Sainsbury Wing
November 9th, 2011 - February 5th, 2012
Admission Charge for Exhibition

For more information regarding the exhibition, Leonardo: Painter at the Court of Milan, opening at the National Gallery in London on November 9th, please follow this link to the National Gallery's website.

Advance booking is recommended for this exhibition, and you can find ticket information and prices here as well as directions on how to purchase.

If you are unable to make it to London, you can also purchase the catalogue online at the National Gallery's Store.

Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi

2011-09-30T07:18:00.001-07:00

Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519)

Salvator Mundi
Oil on panel, 25 13/16 x 17 7/8 inches (65.6 x 45.4 cm)
Private Collection

For information regarding Leonardo da Vinci's painting, Salvator Mundi (or Savior of the World) please follow this link to the official press releases. There you will information on the attribution of this discovery, including key figures, scholarship, and conservation.

Please check back regularly to stay abreast of news regarding the exhibition at the National Gallery in London, and the publication of a monograph on the painting.