Salvator (pronounced sal-vat-or) Mundi means ‘Saviour of the World’ and of course it is referring to Jesus Christ as Saviour of the World. It is also the name of a very famous Renaissance painting by Leonardo de Vinci of Jesus (circa 1500).
Leonardo painted Salvator Mundi most likely for King Louis XII of France and his consort, Anne of Brittany. It was most likely commissioned soon after the conquests of Milan and Genoa.
The 26-inch haunting oil-on-panel painting depicts a half-length figure of Christ as Saviour of the World, facing front and dressed in Renaissance-era robes. In his painting, Leonardo presents Christ as he is characterized in the Gospel of John 4:14: ‘And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the World.’ Christ gazes fixedly at the spectator, lightly bearded with auburn hair, holding a crystal sphere (representing the Earth) in his left hand and offering benediction with his right.
It was sold at auction at Christie’s in New York in November 2017 for 382 million euro, a new record price for an artwork.