Is Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi 'wearing women's clothing'?

"He argues that the "low-cut, rectangular neckline" of Christ's tunic is unprecedented both for a Renaissance depiction of Christ and for a male sitter "of an elevated social status". He says that in all other paintings of Christ of the period, Christ's tunic has a much higher collar close to the neck, and that a low-cut and embroidered neckline are typical for female portraits of the period such as Leonardo's La Belle Ferronnière (around 1493-94) in the Musée du Louvre."

"The identical blue colour of Christ's tunic and himation (a kind of cloak) also points to a female prototype, the Austrian art historian claims. He says that in almost all other contemporary depictions of Christ of the 15th and 16th century in which the Saviour has a tunic and cloak, the tunic is painted red and the cloak blue, and that the blue-on-blue combination is a typical wardrobe choice for images of the Virgin Mary "from the 12th century onward"."

Controversies have focused on the Salvator Mundi's price, restoration, attribution and current location. A garment-focused analysis identifies features of the Christ figure's clothing that align more closely with female Renaissance fashion than with typical male or Christ iconography. The tunic displays a low-cut, rectangular, embroidered neckline in contrast to the higher collars usually shown on Christ and high-status male sitters. The tunic and himation share an identical blue hue, diverging from the common red tunic and blue cloak pairing used for Christ. The blue-on-blue combination echoes Marian wardrobe traditions dating back to the 12th century. Comparisons cite female portraits such as La Belle Ferronnière and Raphael's Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga as parallels for the neckline style.

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