Eagle-eyed buyer snaps up £30k Dalí painting for £150 at house clearance sale

Independent

29-07-2025

A Salvador Dalí painting, initially acquired for a mere £150 at a house clearance sale, has been authenticated as an original and is now valued at up to £30,000.
The mixed media piece was purchased by an anonymous art dealer.
They later discovered it had been previously offered for sale at Sotheby's in the 1990s, fully attributed to Dalí.
The artwork is set to be auctioned by Cambridgeshire auctioneers Cheffins on 23 October.
Gabrielle Downie, an associate at Cheffins, said the loss of an attribution is 'quite rare in the modern art world', making it a 'significant' rediscovery.
'To handle a genuine rediscovery of a work by who is easily one of the most famous artists in the world, and the godfather of Surrealism, is a real honour.'
Having the painting authenticated again was an 'exciting process', she said.
Vecchio Sultano by Salvador Dalí is to be offered for sale by Cheffins auctioneers with an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000
'It is a testament to the sellers' significant art knowledge that he was able to spot this picture at a house clearance sale.
'While Dalí's work is often some of the most recognisable, this is an unusual piece which shows a different side to his practice when working in watercolour.'
The artwork, titled Vecchio Sultano , was discovered in a Cambridge-based house clearance sale in 2023.
It has been certified as authentic by Dalí expert Nicolas Descharnes and has a pre-sale estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
The image, made with watercolour paint and felt tip, measures 38cm by 29cm.
It is an illustration of a scene from The Arabian Nights , a series of 500 pieces which Dali intended to create of Middle Eastern folktales, which was commissioned by wealthy Italian couple Giuseppe and Mara Albaretto.
The painting has been certified as authentic by Dalí expert Nicolas Descharnes
Ms Downie said: 'The Albarettos who commissioned this work had initially asked Dalí to illustrate a bible in 1963, but upon Dalí's insistence, he instead ended up illustrating scenes from 1,001 Nights – a collection of Middle Eastern folktales.
'It seems Dalí was fascinated with Moorish culture and believed himself to be from a Moorish line.
'It seems that this project was abandoned, with Dalí only having completed 100 of the intended 500 works.
'Of these 100, half remained with the publishing house Rizzoli and were either damaged or lost; the other 50 stayed with the Albarettos and were later inherited by their daughter, Christina, who was also Dalí's goddaughter.
'It is the 50 that were retained by the family that were published in 2016 by the Folio Society.
'I think, given that Dalí engineered the commission to suit his whims, that he very much enjoyed this project and the subject matter.
'It is most likely that the work in question came from the batch of 50 which were retained and later lost by the publishers.'