The lost Dali found at a house clearance in Cambridge is expected to sell for between £20,000 and £30,000 - Cheffins Auctioneers

A Salvador Dali painting bought at a house clearance sale for £150 has been authenticated as an original and valued at up to £30,000.

The mixed media piece was bought at the sale by an art dealer, who 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 Cheffins, a Cambridgeshire auctioneer, on Oct 23. The seller wishes to remain anonymous.

Detail from the painting, which was composed in water colour and felt tip by Salvador Dali - Cheffins Auctioneers

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 someone 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 seller’s 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 2023 at a house clearance in Cambridge.

It has been certified as authentic by Dali expert Nicolas Descharnes and has a pre-sale estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.

A close-up of Dali’s signature on the painting, part of a series commissioned by a wealthy Italian couple - Cheffins Auctioneers

The image, made with watercolour paint and felt tip, measures 38cm by 29cm. It is an illustration of a scene from The Arabian Nights and was one of a series of 500 pieces which Dali intended to create of Middle Eastern folk tales. They had been commissioned by Giuseppe and Mara Albaretto, a wealthy Italian couple.

Ms Downie said: “The Albarettos 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. 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. 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 Dali’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 Dali 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.”

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