Leonardo Today: Mystery, Crime, and Conspiracy

The modern history of Leonardo da Vinci’s work is dominated by tales of forgery, theft, controversy, and conspiracy.

The most recent controversy is that of the 'Salvator Mundi” (meaning “savior of the world”): a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci of Jesus Christ in an anachronistic blue Renaissance dress. It is thought to have been painted between 1499 and 1510.

The painting has a particularly interesting provenance (meaning its ownership history). It is believed to have been commissioned around 1500, likely by King Louis XII of France and his consort, Anne of Brittany.

However, the painting's journey didn’t end with the French monarchy. It was later owned by Charles I of England and was recorded in his Royal Collection in 1649.

Following Charles I's execution, the painting was sold and changed hands multiple times within England’s royal circles, before disappearing from records in the late 18th century.

For the following century, the painting was only known through copies. The 'Salvator Mundi' resurfaced in 1900 when it was bought by a British collector, but was heavily overpainted, which made it look like nothing more than a copy or product of his workshop.

Considering the collaborative nature of art production during the Renaissance, it was not unusual for assistants or students, trained in his techniques and style, to directly copy works.

The Salvator Mundi’s existence was then largely unknown until it was unearthed at a modest auction house in New Orleans in 2005, where it was purchased for just over $1,175 by a consortium of art dealers who believed that this seemingly low-quality work might be Leonardo’s long-missing original.

These believers in the painting's status as a true Da Vinci considered the overpainting a possible attempt to preserve or enhance the piece, which had obscured the original work by Da Vinci.

The 'Salvator Mundi' came into the hands of restorer Dianne Modestini in 2006 in poor condition. The panel on which it was painted had cracked, and the paint itself had suffered significant damage and later overpainting by other artists. Modestini's restoration process, which took several years, aimed to bring back the original beauty of the artwork and, in the process, clarify its attribution to Leonardo da Vinci.

One of the significant discoveries during the restoration process was related to the position of Christ's thumb.

Using infrared imaging, Modestini discovered that the thumb had been painted and then repainted in a slightly different position. Such pentimenti (changes made by the artist during the painting process) are considered to be evidence of an artist's thought process and are not typically seen in copies.

This discovery of a ‘pentimenti’ was taken as an indication that the 'Salvator Mundi' was not a mere imitation but an original work, where the artist was rethinking and adjusting as they went along. This would make the 'Salvator Mundi' one of fewer than 20 known paintings by Leonardo, positioning it as an incredibly rare piece.

The decision by the National Gallery to display the 'Salvator Mundi' as a genuine Leonardo in their 2011 exhibition gave the painting a stamp of authenticity.

In light of the fresh academic opinion that the painting was indeed a Leonardo da Vinci original, collectors were willing to pay an extraordinary sum of money for a work of such astonishing rarity and intriguing history. In 2017, the 'Salvator Mundi' was put up for auction at Christie's, one of the world's leading auction houses specializing in art.

The work was sold for a staggering $450.3 million to the Saudi Arabian prince Badr bin Abdullah, making it the most expensive painting ever sold.

The National Gallery’s exhibit of the Salvator Mundi made the institution a target for those who disagreed with the attribution. Some critics argued that while the painting might have been created in Leonardo's workshop, it could have been the work of one of his pupils rather than the master himself.

Others questioned whether Modestini’s extensive restoration had altered the painting too much, making it hard to discern Leonardo's original hand. Further adding to the controversy, after its record-breaking sale at the controversial Christie’s auction, the painting was supposed to be displayed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. However, it hasn’t been seen publicly since.

To add to this, the painting was sold by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who had previously been involved in legal disputes over art fraud.

The controversy surrounding the sale emphasized the complexities and challenges of the art market, including issues of authenticity, provenance, and the influence of wealthy collectors.

The theft of the 'Mona Lisa' in 1911 is one of the most infamous art thefts in history. It was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris on 21 August 1911 by an Italian museum worker and petty criminal named Vincenzo Peruggia.

Peruggia managed to remove the painting from the museum undetected by simply hiding inside the museum overnight, removing the painting from its display, and concealing it under his clothing!

The theft went unnoticed until the following day, whereupon it started to attract global attention. The painting's absence fueled intense speculation and intrigue, with the media covering the incident extensively.

Peruggia's motivation for the theft was rooted in his firm belief that the painting should be returned to Italy, as he thought it had been wrongfully taken by France. This nationalistic sentiment reinforces the cultural significance of certain artworks and the strong emotions they can evoke.

At first, the audacious heist of the “Mona Lisa” was shrouded in mystery as the police struggled to identify any culprits or how they did it.

Speculations swirled around Modernist adversaries of traditional art, leading to the questioning of figures like Guillaume Apollinaire and Pablo Picasso, although of course, no evidence linked them to the crime!

Two years later, the perpetrator Vincenzo Peruggia was caught in November 1913. While using the alias Leonardo Vincenzo, he foolishly contacted an art dealer in Florence, offering to return the painting to Italy for a substantial reward. But his attempt to profit from the stolen masterpiece ultimately led to his downfall.

The art dealer, who was suspicious of the authenticity of the painting, contacted the police. This led to the arrest of Peruggia and the eventual return of the painting to the Louvre.

The “Madonna of the Yarnwinder” is considered to be one of Leonardo’s finest paintings. It depicts the Virgin Mary seated in a landscape with the Christ child, the latter of whom is gazing at a “niddy-noddy” used to collect spun yarn.

Up until being stolen, the painting was housed in Drumlanrig Castle in Scotland, the ancestral home of the Duke of Buccleuch.

On August 27, 2003, two thieves disguised as tourists overpowered the castle's security, seizing the painting and making a swift getaway. The artwork's shocking disappearance led to an international search effort. The painting's estimated value of £30 million and its significance fueled concerns over its potential black-market trade or destruction.

After a remarkable four-year journey, the painting was recovered in 2007 from a lawyer's office in Glasgow. It transpired that the thieves had attempted to extort a ransom for its return!

The theft of priceless manuscripts from the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid in 1987 left scholars and art enthusiasts in despair. These documents, containing Leonardo's scientific and artistic notes, were presumed to be lost.

Decades later, in 2008, a manuscript from the collection caught the attention of a renowned art dealer, who suspected its dubious origins. This led to a complex investigation that ultimately unraveled a network of art smugglers and black-market dealers. The manuscript's recovery became a turning point, and it provided a vital lead to locating other missing Leonardo documents.

The manuscripts' reappearance highlighted the challenges of tracing stolen art across the global market and demonstrated the importance of international collaboration and stringent provenance verification.

Leonardo's life and works have been the subject of numerous films, books, and musical compositions. Perhaps most notable among them is The Da Vinci Code, a bestselling 2003 novel by Dan Brown.

The novel's blend of historical fact, fiction, and promotion of conspiracy theories entranced readers worldwide, leading to a surge in interest in Leonardo and his works.

Dan Brown's novel 'The Da Vinci Code' delves deeply into a fictional conspiracy theory centered around Leonardo da Vinci's works, the Catholic Church, and the Holy Grail.

A pivotal claim in the novel is its interpretation of Leonardo's iconic painting 'The Last Supper.' Brown posits that the figure seated to the right of Jesus isn't John the Apostle as traditionally interpreted but instead is Mary Magdalene.

This perspective is used to suggest a hidden relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, implying that Mary might represent the Holy Grail, acting as the 'vessel' for Jesus's bloodline. Furthermore, the noticeable absence of the Holy Grail in the painting is highlighted to support this theory.

Another aspect drawn from Leonardo's life in Dan Brown’s novel is Da Vinci’s use of mirror writing and anagrams. Brown's characters often see these as coded messages, further fueling the conspiracy at the heart of the novel's plot.

Speculation regarding Leonardo's personal beliefs is also presented, with the book suggesting that Leonardo may have held views that diverged significantly from the official doctrines of the Church.

Additionally, 'The Da Vinci Code' adds a layer of intrigue by hinting that Leonardo was a Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, a purported secret society that protected truths about the Holy Grail. This claim, it's worth noting, isn't backed by credible historical evidence.

In reflecting on Leonardo's legacy through the lens of 'The Da Vinci Code,' several points stand out. The novel taps into the enduring sense of mystery that surrounds Leonardo's life and works.

By weaving him into the tale, Brown reaffirms Leonardo's reputation as a multifaceted genius, not just as a painter but also as a scientist, inventor, and, in the world of the novel, a possible custodian of hidden knowledge.