Da Vinci painting up for auction with $100 million estimate

ENTERTAINMENT

Da Vinci painting up for auction with $100 million estimate

The Associated Press Published Tuesday, October 10, 2017 3:33PM EDT

FILE - Security guards open a door to reveal 'Salvator Mundi' by Leonardo da Vinci during a news conference at Christie's in New York on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. (AP / Seth Wenig)

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NEW YORK - The last Leonardo da Vinci painting in private hands is going to auction in New York next month -- with a pre-sale estimate of around $100 million.

Christie's announced Tuesday that the depiction of Jesus, titled "Salvator Mundi," will be offered Nov. 15.

Christie's specialist Alan Wintermute calls it "the Holy Grail of Old Master paintings."

"Salvator Mundi," dating from around 1500, is one of fewer than 20 known paintings by Leonardo. It was believed that the work had been destroyed until it was rediscovered in 2005.

The seller is identified only as a "private European collection."

Andy Warhol's 1986 painting "Sixty Last Suppers" -- based on Leonardo's Renaissance "Last Supper" masterpiece -- also will be featured. Its estimate is around $50 million.