UAE Pushes Back the Big Reveal of a Da Vinci Treasure
Quick rundown:
- Abu Dhabi’s
Louvre Abu Dhabihad aSalvator Mundiwaiting to wow the crowd. - The iconic Jesus portrait, allegedly by
Leonardo da Vinci, fetched a staggering$450 millionat auction. - Instead of September 18, the unveiling has been postponed—no exact dates yet.
- The painting’s buyer remains hush‑hush, with speculations pointing to Saudi royalty.
Why the Delay?
So far, no concrete reason has been stated. A tweet from the UAE Department of Culture and Tourism simply said the Salvator Mundi unveiling is “postponed” and that more details will come soon.
About the Painting
Painted in 1500, this portrait of Jesus has a storied history:
- At Christie’s, it was the only one of fewer than 20 muss–hiATR? (corrected as “fewer than 20”) authentic Da Vinci pieces still in private hands.
- Six years ago, it swung from doubt to acceptance after critics declared it the real deal, not just a student copy.
Who Bought It?
Official sources remain secretive about the buyer. The Louvre Abu Dhabi only confirmed that the emirate’s culture agency “acquired” the work.
Last December, New York Times alleged that the buyer was Prince Badr bin Abdullah of the Saudi royal family.
Later, Wall Street Journal added that Badr was acting for Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince—though he’s neither confirmed nor denied the claim.
In June, Badr got the crown for the kingdom’s culture ministry during a government shake‑up.
Regional Power Play
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are tight allies, both deeply involved in Yemen’s conflict and backing for each other against Qatar on the Gulf stage.
Stay tuned for the next update on the Salvator Mundi mystery!
