Cultural significance can refer to the aesthetic, historic, scientific, social or spiritual value for past, present or future generations of an artefact. This value is determined by the society in question (the local community or even global community for artefacts of global heritage).
Examples include Van Gogh's ‘Self-portrait with a bandaged ear', ‘Sacrifice of Isaac’ by Caravaggio, or Da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' painting which was sold by auction house Christies' in 2017 for $450 million, making it the most expensive work of art ever sold. It also includes artefacts such as the Katsina masks, which are sacred to the Hopi Native Americans, but many of which are currently privately owned by French art collectors.