Salvator Mundi, which translates to “Saviour of the World”, is a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. It was purchased at an auction for a staggering $450 million, making it the most expensive artwork ever sold.

Since it was sold, the painting has remained hidden from the public eye. But that may not be the case for long.

People may finally be able to see it in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.

A hidden treasure

When Salvator Mundi went under the hammer at Christie’s in New York, the identity of the buyer remained anonymous, fuelling speculation and intrigue.

Then, N_ew York Times_ uncovered the truth: the buyer was a Saudi prince acting on behalf of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who is known better by his initials, MBS.

After disappearing from public view, there was widespread speculation that the painting might be adorning the walls of MBS’s palatial homes or his luxurious yacht.

However, BBC cited Bernard Haykel, a close associate of the Crown Prince and a Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, as saying that Salvator Mundi currently resides in storage in Geneva.

Haykel revealed that MBS wants the painting as the anchor of a grand museum that is yet to be built in Riyadh.

“I want to build a very large museum in Riyadh,” Haykel recalls MBS as saying. “And I want an anchor object that will attract people, just like the Mona Lisa does.”

A portrait of power

The decision to buy Salvator Mundi can be seen as a bold assertion of MBS’s vision for Saudi Arabia.

The purchase occurred during a period when the Crown Prince was beginning to loosen the grip of religious conservatism in the kingdom. These early steps in his Vision 2030 plan included allowing women to drive and reopening cinemas, signalling a shift towards a more open society.

In this context, the acquisition of a Christian icon, particularly one by da Vinci, may show his willingness to break from tradition and position Saudi Arabia as a leader on the world stage.