The painting was bought for Anu Dhabi museum
The painting by the Renaissance legend was sold for a stunning $450 million at a Christie s auction in 2017 to a Saudi royal, later identified as crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who reportedly bought it to gift the painting to Louvre Abu Dhabi museum.
The painting was supposed to be shown during an exhibition at the museum in 2018, which had been delayed indefinitely.
Theft
None in the museum knew that the painting was gone
The copy of the original painting was made by artist Giacomo Alibrandi in the 1500s and was purchased by an adviser of Emperor Charles V, Giovan Antonio Muscettola.
Italian police find stolen copy of Leonardo Salvator Mundi - World News castanet.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from castanet.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A copy of Salvator Mundi, the price record-smashing painting said to be a rare work by Leonardo da Vinci, was found in a bedroom cupboard in Naples on Saturday, reports the BBC. The recovered copy, maybe dating from the early 1500s, is thought to be by one of da Vinci's students, possibly Giacomo Alibrandi. A 36-year-old man at the residence was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods, police said. The painting had been in the Doma Museum collection at the .