'Lost' Da Vinci painting to go on display

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NEW YORK, July 8 (UPI) -- A painting in a U.S. collection has been documented as a lost masterpiece by Renaissance-era artist Leonardo da Vinci, a New York historian said.

The newly discovered work, dated around 1500, will be exhibited for the first time in November, New York art historian and private dealer Robert Simon said in a news release Thursday.

One of 15 surviving da Vinci oil paintings, the piece was known, but presumed to have been destroyed. It will be included in "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan" at the National Gallery in London from Nov. 9 until Feb. 5, Simon said.

Called "Salvator Mundi" or "Savior of the World," the work depicts a half-length figure of Christ facing forward and holding a crystal orb in his left hand as he raises his right in blessing.

The "Salvator Mundi" is privately owned and not currently for sale, Simon said.