An original work by Salvador Dali which was discovered in a Cambridge-based house clearance sale, will go under the hammer at the Cheffins Art & Design Sale on 23rd October. Titled Vecchio Sultano the work has a pre-sale estimate of £20,000 - £30,000 and has been certified as authentic by renowned Dali expert, Nicolas Descharnes.
Measuring 38cm x 29cm, the painting is a mixed media piece, made with watercolour paint and felt tip, and 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.
Salvador Dali, Vecchio Sultano, estimate £20,000 - £30,000
Gabrielle Downie, Associate at Cheffins, comments: “The seller, who wishes to remain anonymous, completed the initial research on the painting and discovered that the picture had been offered for sale at Sotheby’s in the 1990s fully attributed to Dali. The loss of an attribution is quite rare in the modern artworld 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 piece was purchased by a local Cambridge-based antiques and art dealer from a house clearance sale in Cambridge in 2023 for £150, before being identified and authenticated by Cheffins.
Gabrielle Downie continues: ‘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 1001 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. 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.”
The illustrations which were retained by the Albaretto family were published by The Folio Society in 2014 which brought about new interest in the project.
Auction: The Art & Design Sale: 23rd October 2025
Location: Cheffins, Clifton House, 1-2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, UK, CB1 7EA
For further information contact the Fine Art Department on 01223 213343, fine.art@cheffins.co.uk