Not 'the last Leonardo'
December 24 2017
Picture: via Bloomberg
All you AHNers knew that the Salvator Mundi wasn't really 'the last Leonardo', (as Christie's billed it). But this article in Bloomberg has some interesting comments from Prof. Martin Kemp on both the Buccleuch and Lansdowne Madonnas of the Yarnwinder, which in theory could yet come back onto the market. The Buccleuch picture (above) I am lucky enough to see regularly, since it is loaned to the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. It's quite easy to see where Leonardo stops and the later overpainted background begins. But I would love to see the Lansdowne version (below), which appears to be all of a piece. It is in an unknown private collection, having last been sold in 1999 by Wildenstein & Co in New York, and could one presumes reappear for sale at any moment (the Buccleuch picture, though privately owned, will likely never be sold).
'What's it worf?' Well, so much depends on condition and critical reception; but who's to say it wouldn't be at a similar level to the Salvator Mundi? Remember, there were six bidders on the Salvator Mundi, which means there are at least five disappointed Leonardo buyers out there.
