The world's most expensive painting continues to generate controversy as a new academic theory suggests that Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" depicts Christ wearing women's clothing in a deliberately "transgender" or "gender fluid" artistic choice. The painting, which sold for $450 million in 2017 to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has already faced intense scrutiny over its attribution to the Renaissance master and has since mysteriously disappeared from public view.
This provocative interpretation comes from Philipp Zitzlsperger, a German art history professor born in 1965 who teaches medieval and modern art history at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. A Munich native who specializes in the symbolic meaning of clothing in Renaissance art, Zitzlsperger detailed his theory in an article titled "The Significance of Leonardo's Salvator Mundi" published in the latest issue of Artibus et Historiae, a prestigious biannual art history journal established in 1980 and published in Poland by the Institute for Art Historical Research (IRSA).
Zitzlsperger's analysis focuses on the blue tunic with golden embroidered trim worn by Christ in the painting, particularly noting its "rectangular neckline" that reveals more of the chest than would be typical for depictions of Christ or men of "high social status" from that era. According to the professor, this type of neckline was characteristic of portraits of noble women from the period, similar to those seen in Leonardo's "La Belle Ferronnière" (1495-1497) and Raphael's portrait of the Duchess of Urbino (1504). He argues that the color choices also support a feminine interpretation, as the blue cape over blue tunic combination was typically associated with the Virgin Mary, while Christ was more commonly depicted wearing a blue cape over a red tunic in paintings of that era.
The researcher claims to detect "the slight beginning of a female breast" at the collar level, suggesting that the painter intended to signify "the union of Christ and the Virgin in the person of the Salvator Mundi." This interpretation aligns with what Zitzlsperger describes as the development of "an aesthetic of gender fluidity" in Italy during that period, which can be observed in several of Leonardo's works where the androgynous nature of characters – from the Mona Lisa to Saint John the Baptist – has been frequently noted by art historians.
However, the theory has been met with considerable skepticism from other experts in the field. Matthew Landrus, an art historian at Oxford University, told The Art Newspaper that he doesn't have "enough evidence" to confirm that the clothing choice in this Christ depiction has any particular significance. Frank Zöllner, an art history professor at the University of Leipzig who has written several articles about the Salvator Mundi, considers the text "a bit too sensationalist," arguing that "feminine-looking clothing does not make Christ a woman." Zöllner points out that there are several representations of Christ wearing blue tunics and blue capes, including in the mosaics of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and in Giotto's Stefaneschi Triptych, just as there are numerous depictions of the Virgin in red tunics and blue capes.
Martin Kemp, professor emeritus at Oxford University and a specialist in Leonardo's work, offered a different perspective, suggesting that if the clothing choice is indeed unique, it would support the attribution to Leonardo. However, Kemp's opinion carries potential bias, as he played an important role in the highly controversial attribution of the painting to Leonardo in 2008 and is reportedly involved in the project to build a future museum in Saudi Arabia to house the work.
The painting has been surrounded by numerous anomalies that have raised questions about its authenticity. Critics have pointed to a strange blur around the neck area, poorly positioned eyes, and an optical effect in the glass orb that seems unworthy of Leonardo's scientific knowledge. Some experts wonder whether this supposed "feminine attire" might simply be another clue pointing toward an ancient painting that was over-restored and transformed to become an intriguing Salvator Mundi attributed to Leonardo.
The artwork's journey to record-breaking status began when it was purchased for a nominal sum at an obscure American auction in 2005. After restoration, it was attributed to Leonardo da Vinci by the National Gallery in London, subsequently becoming the subject of several documentaries that present it as a pure "fabrication" involving a skilled restorer and cunning businessmen. In 2019, the painting was notably absent from the Louvre's blockbuster Leonardo exhibition at the last minute, adding to the mystery surrounding this controversial masterpiece that continues to divide the art world.
