A lost artwork by renowned Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí has been sold for tens of thousands of pounds at auction after being discovered and purchased for just £150 during a house clearance in Cambridge. The mixed-media piece, titled "Vecchio Sultano," was created using watercolor paint and felt-tip pen as an illustration inspired by the Arabian Nights tales.
The small artwork, measuring only 38 centimeters (15 inches) by 29 centimeters (11 inches), was found by an antique and art dealer who recognized its potential value. Before being put up for auction, the piece was authenticated by a Dalí expert and subsequently sold by Cheffins Auctioneers for what is believed to exceed the estimated price range of £20,000 to £30,000.
According to the auction house, "Vecchio Sultano" was part of an ambitious series that Dalí originally intended to create, consisting of 500 pieces reflecting Middle Eastern folktales. This project was commissioned by a wealthy Italian couple, Giuseppe and Mara Albaretto. However, Dalí only completed 100 of the intended 500 works before abandoning the project.
Gabrielle Downie from Cheffins explained the significance of the discovery: "The seller, who wishes to remain anonymous, completed the initial research on the painting and discovered that the picture had been offered for sale at Sotheby's in the 1990s, fully attributed to Dalí." She emphasized that "the loss of an attribution is quite rare in the modern art world making this a significant rediscovery for Dalí scholars."
The artwork's provenance reveals an interesting history. Of the 100 completed works, half remained with the publishing house Rizzoli, while the other 50 stayed with the Italian family who commissioned them. These works were later inherited by the Albaredos' daughter Christina, who was also Dalí's goddaughter. Downie noted that "it is most likely that the work in question came from the batch of 50 which were retained and later lost by the publishers."
Downie described handling the rediscovered piece as "a real honor," stating: "To handle a genuine rediscovery of a work by someone who is easily one of the most famous artists in the world and the godfather of Surrealism is a real honor." She added that the piece was unusual and demonstrated a different aspect of Dalí's artistic practice when working with watercolor, representing a departure from his more recognizable works.
This discovery highlights the ongoing potential for finding lost masterpieces in unexpected places, demonstrating how valuable artworks can sometimes surface in the most ordinary circumstances. Salvador Dalí, who died in 1989, remains one of the most celebrated and influential artists of the 20th century, making any authenticated work by him extremely valuable to collectors and art institutions worldwide.
