AI Questions Authorship of the World's Most Expensive Painting at $450 Million

The world's most expensive painting - "Salvator Mundi" - may not have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but rather by his student Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio. This conclusion was reached by the Brazilian artificial intelligence system Luminari, which specializes in analyzing works of art. According to the art portal Martin Cid, the probability of Boltraffio's authorship is estimated at 81%. However, the methodology on which the artificial intelligence based this result is not disclosed in detail. The painting gained worldwide fame after being sold at a Christie's auction in 2017. An unknown buyer, reportedly Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, paid a record $450 million for the work. If the assumption about the student's authorship is confirmed, the market value of the painting could turn out to be approximately 100 times lower than the amount paid at the auction. Adding to the intrigue of the situation is the fact that since its sale in 2017, "Salvator Mundi" has not been exhibited publicly. It is expected that in the future, the work will be presented at the Museum of World Cultures in Riyadh. However, art historians urge not to take the conclusions of artificial intelligence as definitive proof. Experts note that such technologies can assist in the study of artworks but are not capable of independently resolving all historical disputes regarding authorship. In particular, Professor Frank Zellner emphasized that AI analysis can serve as a useful tool, but its results are insufficient for definitively establishing the author of the painting.