Da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' painting of Christ found in a local flat
A copy of the world-famous Salvator Mundi oil painting stolen from a basilica in Naples two years ago has been found in a flat in the southern Italian city, Daily Mail reported.
Italian news agency AGI reported that the 15th-century artwork, widely attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci, had been stolen from the Muscettola Chapel in the Basilica di San Domenico Maggiore in Naples two years ago.
Police found the painting in a room in a flat in Strada Provinciale delle Brecce in Naples. The owner of the flat, a 36-year-old, was tracked down near the property and arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods.
Salvator Mundi, a depiction of Christ as saviour of the world, is thought to have been painted in around 1500 for Louis XII - shortly after the French king conquered the Duchy of Milan and took control of Genoa.
The original piece is the most expensive painting ever sold at auction, breaking all records at Christie's in New York in 2017 when it was purchased by Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud for $450,300,000.