Salvator Mundi as an Art Nouveau Icon: Leonardo's Christ Reimagined (c. 1500)
A half-length Christ faces us head-on, his right hand raised in blessing and his left holding a clear crystal sphere. His face is soft, almost dissolving into shadow; his gaze is calm and impossible to pin down. This is Salvator Mundi , “Saviour of the World”, the panel attributed to Leonardo da Vinci that sold for a record $450.3 million in 2017 and then disappeared from public view. Here we look at it from a different angle: why a Renaissance devotional image works so naturally as an Art Nouveau icon, and what remains of its mystery today. Leonardo da Vinci (attributed), Salvator Mundi , c. 1500. Oil on walnut panel, 65.6 × 45.4 cm. Vintage Art Nouveau poster interpretation by Sapiens Verbum, after the public domain original. Available from the Sapiens Verbum print shop. 🖼️ Get the Art Nouveau poster → Quick facts Artist: Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), attribution debated (workshop participation, e.g. Boltraffio, has been prop...