World's most Expensive painting has been auctioned for $450M

The world's most expensive painting was auctioned off at a staggering price of $450 million.

Bidding on Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi," which translates to "Savior of the World," opened at $70 million, but increased almost immediately to $95 million. The 26-inch-tall depiction of Christ dates back to around 1500, and is one of the fewer than 20 artworks in existence that is generally accepted to be from Leonardo da Vinci.

 Nearly 20 minutes after the start of the auction, the last bid was finalized with an audible smash of Pylkkänen's gavel. A buyer's premium and fees would eventually be tacked on to the final bid, bringing the total price to $450,312,500.

Around 1,000 people were reportedly packed into Christie's Auction House in New York to bear witness to the historic event, while thousands more watched a live-stream. The video now has more than 1.5 million views.

"It is every auctioneer's ambition to sell a Leonardo and likely the only chance I will ever have,' Pylkkänen said, according to Christie's. "It's the pinnacle of my career so far."

"The excitement from the public for this work of art has been overwhelming and hugely heartening."