<p>A European collector has bought a 17th-century copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting for 2.9 million euros ($3.4 million), a record for a Mona Lisa reproduction, in an auction at Christie's in Paris on Friday.</p>.<p>Known as the "Hekking Mona Lisa," after its owner who unsuccessfully argued that a copy he had bought in the 1950s was the real thing, is one of many reproductions of the original, which hangs in the Paris Louvre museum.</p>.<p>"This is madness, this is an absolute record for a Mona Lisa reproduction," a Christie's spokeswoman said.</p>.<p>She said there had been 14 bidders in an international auction and that in the last hour, the bids soared from 500,000 to 2.4 million euros, before a final bid of 2.9 million was made.</p>.<p>The Louvre's original is not for sale. But in 2017, Christie's New York sold da Vinci’s "Salvator Mundi" for $450 million to an unidentified telephone bidder, making it the most expensive piece of art ever sold at auction. </p>
<p>A European collector has bought a 17th-century copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting for 2.9 million euros ($3.4 million), a record for a Mona Lisa reproduction, in an auction at Christie's in Paris on Friday.</p>.<p>Known as the "Hekking Mona Lisa," after its owner who unsuccessfully argued that a copy he had bought in the 1950s was the real thing, is one of many reproductions of the original, which hangs in the Paris Louvre museum.</p>.<p>"This is madness, this is an absolute record for a Mona Lisa reproduction," a Christie's spokeswoman said.</p>.<p>She said there had been 14 bidders in an international auction and that in the last hour, the bids soared from 500,000 to 2.4 million euros, before a final bid of 2.9 million was made.</p>.<p>The Louvre's original is not for sale. But in 2017, Christie's New York sold da Vinci’s "Salvator Mundi" for $450 million to an unidentified telephone bidder, making it the most expensive piece of art ever sold at auction. </p>