A woodworm-infested, heavily overpainted panel bought at a New Orleans estate auction in 2005 for $1,175 sold at Christie's twelve years later for $450.3 million. This episode traces the Salvator Mundi from its origins around 1499 to 1510, through the collection of Charles I, its disappearance after a 1763 auction, its 1900 reappearance attributed to Luini, a 1958 sale for 45 pounds as a Boltraffio, and the restoration by Dianne Dwyer Modestini during which it broke into seven pieces.

We examine the evidence for Leonardo's hand, including the pentimento in the blessing thumb revealed by infrared photography, the non-refracting crystal orb read as a deliberate statement about Christ and the celestial spheres, the rock crystal inclusions, and the sfumato depth of field. Then we follow the money through the $80 million sale, Yves Bouvier's sec ...