Leonardo da Vinci’s "Salvator Mundi" masterpiece, who was sold in 2017 to an unknown Saudi royal for $450 million, has gone missing, The New York Times reported.

The painting, which ended up at the Louvre Abu Dhabi after being sold, was supposed to be displayed at the museum in September 2018; however, the event was canceled without giving any explanation.

An anonymous bidder, believed to be representing Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, purchased the painting at a Christie's auction two years ago.

Later, Abu Dhabi's culture department allegedly bought the masterpiece from the buyer, but its whereabouts are still unknown.

The painting, depicting Jesus Christ, was last located in Switzerland where it underwent examination by an insurance company before being shipped to an unknown location.

"It is tragic. To deprive the art lovers and many others who were moved by this picture, a masterpiece of such rarity, is deeply unfair,” a professor at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and a conservator who has worked on "Salvator Mundi", Dianne Modestini, told The New York Times.