纽约时间11月15日晚间（北京时间11月16日8点51分），被认为唯一可售的达·芬奇作品《救世主》以4亿美元落槌，加佣金成交价为4.50312亿美元（约人民币29.577亿元）价格在纽约佳士得“战后及当代艺术”夜拍上成交，成为史上最贵的艺术品，整个拍卖过程仅持续20分钟。

Who is 达·芬奇？

[1]polymath: a person who knows a lot about many different subjects 博学的人

[2]Vitruvian Man: 《维特鲁威人》画名是根据古罗马维特鲁威（Vitruvii）的名字取的，该建筑家在他的著作《建筑十书》中曾盛赞人体比例和黄金分割。

Leonardo da Vinci painting sells for world record $450 million despite lingering doubts over its authenticity

The Telegraph

Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World)[《救世主》] was bought for $450 million (£342 million) in New York on Wednesday evening, shattering the record for the most expensive artwork ever sold.

The painting, which was once part of Charles I's Royal collection and was sold for just £45 in the 1950s when it was mistaken for a copy, is the last remaining Leonardo in private hands.

It sold for a total amount, including fees paid by the winner to the auction house[拍卖行], of $450,312,500 million following 19 minutes of bidding at Christie's[3] in New York - despite lingering questions by some experts over its authenticity and condition.（尽管有专家几年前认定这幅作品是达·芬奇真迹，但对于这一画作的真伪仍存有争议。） 

[3]Christie's: 佳士得 http://www.christies.com/zh-cn/about-us/index/

Four telephone bidders and one in the auction room duelled for[决斗；争斗] the masterpiece, which had a guaranteed pre-sale bid of at least $100 million.（起拍价为1亿美元） 

Bidding slowed at around the $200 million mark, and then one of the telephone bidders helped to push it towards $300 million as the price jumped $2 million at a time. 

"280 million. Are we all done? Maybe not..." Jussi Pylkkanen, the auctioneer said. Amid gasps[4] around the room, he paused and said: "It's a historic moment: we'll wait."

[4]gasp: A gasp is a short, quick breath of air that you take in through your mouth, especially when you are surprised, shocked, or in pain. (尤指惊讶或疼痛时的) 倒吸气

An audible gasp went around the court as the jury announced the verdict. 
陪审团宣布判决的时候，法庭上听到倒抽了一口气的声音

The hammer eventually fell at $400 million(以4亿美元价格落锤), leading to applause and cheers by the stunned crowd. The victor - one of the phone bidders - was not immediately identified on Wednesday night.

图片看不过瘾？那我们来感受下拍卖现场！

英文原味

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https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=d0506cecojw&width=500&height=375&auto=0

中文翻版

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https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=j13283f7sgw&width=500&height=375&auto=0

"Salvator Mundi is a painting of the most iconic figure in the world by the most important artist of all time," said Loic Gouzer, co-chairman of post-war and contemporary art at Christie's.

佳士得纽约战后与当代艺术部门主席Loic Gouzer表示，《救世主》是世界级的绘画作品，是艺术家达·芬奇最经典的画作。

"We are extremely pleased with the record-breaking result for this remarkable and historical work."

The previous record for a painting sold at auction was Pablo Picasso’s Les Femmes d'Alger (Women of Algiers)[毕加索《阿尔及尔的女人》], which went for $179.4 million in 2015, while Paul Gauguin's Nafea Faa Ipoipo? (When Will You Marry?)[保罗·高更《你何时结婚？》] commanded $300 million in a private sale the same year. 

The painting depicts Christ in a blue robe holding a crystal orb[水晶球], which represents the Earth, and is one of fewer than 20 paintings by the grand master known still to exist.

There was huge hype[5] surrounding the sale of the 26-inch tall painting, billed by Christie's as "The Last da Vinci". 

[5]hype: attempts to make people think something is good or important by talking about it a lot on television, the radio etc – used to show disapproval〔传媒的〕大肆宣传，炒作〔含贬义〕

Some experts are concerned that the new drug won't live up to all the hype. 

一些专家担心这种新药并不像宣传中那么好。

The auction house took the painting on a world tour, with an estimated 27,000 people viewing it at events in London, Hong Kong and San Francisco - a figure that Christie's claims makes it the highest number of viewers for an individual work of art ever.

In New York, where no museum owns a Leonardo, the painting was hung at the end of a dimly lit[光线暗淡的], long room, giving it the appearance of a shrine.

A promotional video[宣传片] for the sale featured Leonardo DiCaprio[莱昂纳多] and Patti Smith[帕蒂·史密斯] staring at the painting, apparently agog at its beauty.

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=v13282w49ny&width=500&height=375&auto=0

When DiCaprio gazed upon da Vinci

Some experts have previously questioned the painting's attribution and some say the extensive restoration muddies[6] the work's authorship. However, Christie's states that a majority of scholars now believe beyond doubt that it is genuine.

[6]muddy

1)If you muddy something, you cause it to be muddy. 使沾上泥巴

The ground still smelled of rain and they muddied their shoes. 
地面仍散发着雨水的气息，他们的鞋沾上了泥巴。

2)If someone or something muddies a situation or issue, they cause it to seem less clear and less easy to understand. 搅乱 (局势、问题等)

It's difficult enough without muddying the issue with religion. 
即使不和宗教搅在一起，这个问题也已够难的了。

Thousands of art lovers queued for hours outside Christie's Rockefeller Center headquarters to view the painting in New York earlier this week. 

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Svetla Nikolova told the Associated Press. "It should be seen. It's wonderful it's in New York. I'm so lucky to be in New York at this time."

翻译仅供参考

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