da Vinci’s ‘Salvatore Mundi’ Painting Sold For Staggering Amount

In 19 minutes, Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvatore Mundi" painting became the highest sold painting ever.

Four bidders were dueling it out over the phone to buy one of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous works: "Salvatore Mundi."  When all was said and done, the winning bid was $450.3 million. The auction was held at Christie's New York.

This winning bid shattered the previous record for a painting sold at auction surprising a record that was set in 2015. The "Salvatore Mundi" painting beat out Picasso's "Women of Algiers" painting by $270.9 million.

When bidding started to slow down in the 100's of millions, auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen, said, "This is a historic moment; we'll wait."

Toward the end, Alex Rotter, who is Christie's Auction & Private Sales co-chairman of postwar and contemporary art, who represented a buyer on the phone, announced the bid that went on to win the painting.