A Salvador Dali painting that was discovered at a house clearance sale in the United Kingdom and bought for £150 ($200) has been valued at up to £30,000 after it was authenticated as an original.
The art dealer who purchased the mixed media piece, who wished to remain anonymous, discovered it had previously been offered for sale at Sotheby’s in the 1990s fully attributed to Dali.
The painting is to be offered for sale by Cambridgeshire auctioneers Cheffins on October 23.
Gabrielle Downie, an associate at Cheffins, said: “The loss of an attribution is quite rare in the modern art world making this a significant rediscovery for Dali scholars.
“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”.
It has been an exciting process researching and having this painting authenticated and it is a testament to the sellers’ significant art knowledge that he was able to spot this picture at a house clearance sale.
“While Dali’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 Dali expert Nicolas Descharnes and has a pre-sale estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
The image, made with water colour paint and felt tip, measures 38 cm by 29 cm.
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.
Downie said: “The Albarettos who commissioned this work had initially asked Dali to illustrate a bible in 1963, but upon Dali’s insistence, he instead ended up illustrating scenes from 1,001 Nights — a collection of Middle Eastern folktales.
“It seems Dali was fascinated with Moorish culture and believed himself to be from a Moorish line”.
It seems that this project was abandoned, with Dali only having completed 100 of the intended 500 works. — PA Media/dpa
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