Leonardo's Lost Painting

"Savior of the World"

 A previously lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci – Salvator Mundi, or “Savior of the World” – has  been found and restored. It has been displayed at the London National Gallery, along with other works, for the Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan exhibition, taking place from November 9, 2011 to February 5, 2012.

The painting has been authenticated by distinguished scholars in the United States and Europe.  It depicts Christ with his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand holding a globe. "Svior of the World" is painted in oil on a wood panel. 

Owners of this priceless work of art include, King Charles I, Charles II,  and Sir Francis Cook, a British collector who was apparently unaware that it was da Vinci’s work. The authentication process took a long time due to fact that the piece was damaged and over-painted. 

This painting is documented in the collection of King Charles I of England in 1649 before it was sold at auction by the Duke of Buckingham's son in 1763. It was purchased in 1900 by Sir Frederick Cook a British art dealer. Where the work had been stored between these dates is unknown however it is clear that several previous poor restoration attempts had made the painting very difficult to authenticate, it was sold at auction in 1958 for £45. 


 In 2005 the work was acquired by a consortium of US art dealers and restored. The   painting has since been studied by several experts on Da Vinci and the renaissance period, the consensus is that this work was painted by Leonardo da Vinci and is the original from which the many copies depend. In a bold move by the National Gallery they will be cataloging the painting as a newly discovered Leonardo.  

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The da Vinci Syndrome

Exposed to the public the first time in 1998 Bianca Sforza didn't receive as much attention as it should have. It happened at the Christie's auction in New York. No one knew either the name of the painting or the name of the artist. It was a simple picture on a parchment. The painting was then bought by an art lover Kate Ganz for her gallery in Canada (it cost her $21. 850) and was then sold to a private colleсtor Peter Silverman. When he first saw the painting he felt certain it was Leonardo's.

Buying a simple painting at the auction and then finding out it was one of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpieces worth millions of dollars is what every art lover dreams about.
Peter Silverman has asked a professional opinion of Martin Kemp, a world-known professor of history of art at Oxford University. Kemp was impressed himself. He has a lot to do with "Leonardo loonies" who believe naively to possess one of the masterpieces. But this was not the case. Martin Kemp felt instantly sure it was not a simple Renaissance portrait, it was the Leonardo and now he had to prove it to the world. With the help of Pascal Cotte of Lumiere Techonology in Paris Kemp was able to do the multispectral scanning with high resolution. He found out some elements which in his opinion belong purely to Leonardo's hand and style.

Who is the young woman portrayed in this picture? Kemp found out it was Bianca Sforza, an illegitimate daughter of Duca di Milano. In 1496 she married Galeazzo Sanseverino, the captain of Milan troops and a sponsor of Leonardo da Vinci. At the time of this portrait Bianca was 13-14 years old and she passed away tragically a few months later. It is possible that it was an extrauterine pregnancy to cause the death.

Where does the painting come from? Where does it belong? Kemp didn't know the answer. It was one of his colleagues from the University of South Florida, D.R. Edward Wright, who made a suggestion the painting had something to do with the book called La Sforziade.The book is kept at the Polish National Library in Warsaw. Once he opened the book the professor saw that one of its pages was torn and the painting was perfectly matching in the missing space. The book describes the marriage and the life of Bianca Sforza and the painting was used as her portrait inside of the book. It is possible that it was taken to Poland by one of her relatives who married a member of the Polish royal family.

Is it a real Leonardo? We don't know the answer yet. A lot of exams still have to be done, a lot of time will pass before we will know the answer. Martin Kemp is however does not change his opinion. He only waits for the day Biance Sforza, a beautiful princess, can be exposed in a museum where everyone can admire her precious beauty.