The world’s smallest sculptural rendition of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, Salvator Mundi, is up for auction through Artsy, the leading online marketplace for collecting and discovering art, beginning Tuesday, May 18 through Tuesday, June 1. The one-of-a-kind miniature measuring less than 1.25 inches high was created by the Real Salvator Mundi, the nom de guerre of artist Elliott Arkin, and is presented as part of a benefit auction for Counseling In Schools (CIS), a non-profit organization that has placed mental health professionals in New York City schools and homeless shelters for 35 years.
Presented in a finely crafted leather and silk display case on top of a light-up gold-leaf base, this micro-miniature Mundi is hand sculpted with fine details like hair curls and fabric trim meticulously inlayed out of multicolored polymer clay reflecting on the painting currently attributed to the renaissance master.
The original da Vinci painting, which is still the subject of much scholarly debate regarding its authenticity, made history in 2017 when it sold at auction for the astronomical world record sum of $450 million. This 2020 miniature rendition is a conceptual practice in the exploration of value, worth, and authorship. Its value is estimated at only 1/100,000 ($4,503) of the da Vinci painting sale price and is authentically signed by the artist R.S. Mundi. Bidding for the piece will start at $1500.
According to the artist’s description “…if scaled up to the size of the painting sold in 2017, this miniature sculpture would still be estimated at only $98,000 making it a bargain with plenty of upside. Plus, the level of skill, effort, and underlying idea stands up to any NFT on the market.”
Powered by Artsy, the auction features more than 30 donated pieces from high-profile contemporary artists Awol Erizku, Rashid Johnson, Ann Craven, Elliott Arkin, Daniel Arsham, Katherine Bernhardt, Andrew Birk, Lauder Boden, Luke Butler, Mauricio Cortez, Chase Hall, Peter Halley, Florian Heinke, Leila Jeffreys, Wyatt Kahn, Forrest Kirk, Dr. Lakra, Claude Lawrence, Dean Levin, Kelly Losier, Steven Manolis, Keith Mayerson, Max Ostrow, Nathlie Provosty, Constanza Schaffner, Kenny Scharf, Jimmy Sheehan, Tom Smith, John Sonsini, Vincent Wenzel, Torie Zalben, Alexis Zambrano.
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