Salvador Dali painting found during house clearance could fetch £30,000

A rare Salvador Dali painting discovered during a routine house clearance in Cambridge is set to go under the hammer in October, with an estimated value of up to £30,000 ($40042.35) — despite being bought for just £150 ($200.29).

The work, titled "Vecchio Sultano", is a mixed media piece in watercolour and felt-tip, and has now been authenticated as an original by the iconic Surrealist artist. It illustrates a scene from "The Arabian Nights", part of a 1960s commission intended to produce 500 illustrations based on Middle Eastern folktales. 

The project, originally proposed as a bible commission by Italian patrons Giuseppe and Mara Albaretto, pivoted to 1,001 Nights at Dali's request. Only 100 of the planned 500 were ever completed.

The piece is believed to have originated from the 50 illustrations retained by the publishers Rizzoli, many of which were subsequently damaged or lost. The remaining half stayed with the Albarettos and was inherited by their daughter, Christina, Dali's goddaughter.

Gabrielle Downie of auctioneers Cheffins, who will be overseeing the sale, called the find "a genuine rediscovery of a work by one of the most famous artists in the world." She noted the painting's previous appearance at Sotheby's in the 1990s, where it was fully attributed to Dali — making the subsequent loss and recent reauthentication of its provenance a rare and valuable turn in the art world.

"It's an unusual piece that shows a different side to Dali's practice," Downie added. "To see such a rediscovery resurface after decades is thrilling."

The artwork has been certified by leading Dali expert Nicolas Descharnes and will be sold through Cheffins auction house on October 23.