Lost Salvador Dalí painting bought from London auction

A long-lost watercolour by Salvador Dalí, part of a rare Arabian Nights series, has been authenticated after being rediscovered at a UK garage sale.

Two years ago, the painting was found tucked away during a house clearance sale in Cambridge. It initially sold for just £150 (€173). Now, the artwork — titled Vecchio Sultano (1966) — is expected to fetch up to £30,000 (€34,700) when it goes up for auction this October, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

The piece depicts a regal sultan wearing a jewel-encrusted turban, drawing inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights. Measuring 15-by-11 inches, it was created using watercolour and felt-tip pen, showcasing a very different style from Dalí’s famous melting clocks and surreal landscapes.

Leading Dalí expert Nicolas Descharnes has authenticated the work, which will be sold at Cheffins’ Art and Design Sale in Cambridge on 23 October.

The painting’s origins date back to 1963, when Italian patrons Giuseppe and Mara Albaretto commissioned Dalí to illustrate a Bible. However, Dalí had other ideas.

“It seems Dalí was fascinated with Moorish culture and believed himself to be from a Moorish line,” said Gabrielle Downie, an associate at Cheffins. “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.”

Dalí instead embarked on an ambitious project to create 500 illustrations inspired by the legendary Middle Eastern folk tales. Only 100 were completed.

“It seems that this project was abandoned,” Downie explained.

Half of the completed works were kept by the publishing house Rizzoli, which planned to release the collection, but many pieces were subsequently lost or damaged. The rediscovery of Vecchio Sultano in 2023 by a Cambridge antiques dealer was therefore a remarkable find.

The painting will be auctioned at Cheffins’ Art and Design Sale in Cambridge on October 23. 

By Sabina Mammadli