Salai, pupil and lover of Leonardo da Vinci, lived in the shadow of the genius of the Renaissance.
However, the painting "the penitent Magdalene" of the artist was sold at auction for 1.7 million euros, Wednesday in Paris.
The painter Salai was both the pupil and the lover of Leonardo da Vinci.
Much less known than his illustrious master, one of his paintings entitled "Penitent Magdalene" was however sold on Wednesday at auction for the tidy sum of 1,745,000 euros, a record for this artist.
If this painting has acquired such value, it is because it allows one to touch the hidden face of a Renaissance genius, through the realization of a man who remained in his shadow.
>> ALSO READ
- Leonardo da Vinci, the all-terrain genius
"Salai" means "little devil" in Italian.
Leonardo da Vinci had given this nickname to the young Gian Giacomo Caprotti, who arrived at the age of 10 with the master.
"He no doubt arrives as a preparer in the workshop," explains Mathieu Fournier, specialist in old masters at the Artcurial auction house.
The gifted student gradually acquires a great place in the life of Leonardo da Vinci: he will be his disciple for 25 years.
© Document submitted
Model of da Vinci paintings
"He's a personality quickly noticed: mischievous, deceitful, curious, brawler. It's something that catches Leonardo's attention, he describes him as 'thief, liar, stubborn and stubborn', so he's a personality. hard to master. It should have considerably entertained and amused Leonardo da Vinci ", continues Mathieu Fournier.
>>
Find Your great evening newspaper in replay and podcast here
The young ephebe also serves as a model for the painter for paintings that have remained famous, such as Saint Jean-Baptiste exhibited at the Louvre.
Some even argue that she is in fact the Mona Lisa, although the theory struggles to convince experts.
Perhaps he will have inspired him anyway.