By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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To most, it was just another quirky painting in a box of forgotten bric-a-brac in a London garage. But to one antiques dealer, it was worth a second glance.
Two years ago, a 60-year-old art lover had visited a Cambridge house clearance auction, simply looking for a piece to hang on his wall.
When one lot came up, he could barely believe his eyes. Stickers on the back indicated that it had been listed in an auction with Sotheby, one of the largest fine art brokers in the world, in the 1990s. Alongside this, a signature. Dalí.
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The piece didn't even have a reserve price, and when nobody else in the room showed much interest, he decided to offer £150 ($198), an amount that won him the piece.
The painting, which depicts a bejeweled sultan, the 38cm x 29cm piece was still shrouded in mystery, prompting the new owner to get an expert opinion.
"I did a little bit of research and I couldn't believe what I was looking at," the anonymous man told The Guardian.
He turned to Nicolas Descharnes, Dalí expert and son of Robert Descharnes, biographer of Salvador Dalí.
That was when things changed. In a certificate of authenticity from May 26, 2025, Descharnes confirmed the unexpected—the painting is real.
"The piece was presented to my late father Robert Descharnes in September 1995 and then was registered in Archives Descharnes," Nicolas Descharnes told Newsweek. "As we had before a record, the work was to feel the artwork, checking that it isn't a reproduction, then we compare in that case with others illustrations done for the same series—meaning that the artist is in the same creative dynamic, same year and so on. And finally checking the medium of the signature and of course the hand writing gesture."
"According to my opinion and my knowledge of the work, the piece reproduced above—as well as on the front—is indeed by the hand of Salvador Dalí Domenech (1904–1989)," Descharnes wrote in the authentication document. "Vecchio sultano (Old Sultan), illustration for the collection of tales One Thousand and One Nights, 1966. Signed and dated in felt-tip pen at the bottom left: Dalí 1966."
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Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his dreamlike, eccentric imagery and technical precision. Born in Figueres, Catalonia, he became one of the most influential and flamboyant figures of 20th-century art. With works in multiple mediums including painting, sculpture, film and illustration, Dalí's is known for his bold imagination and the enduring impact of surrealism on modern culture.
Gabrielle Downie, associate at Cheffins in Cambridge who have been tasked with auctioning the work shared some background: She told Newsweek: "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," she said.
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Rosie O'Connor, senior art curator at FRAMELESS London, told Newsweek: "This discovery is genuinely significant for art historians and collectors. Finding an authenticated Dalí work, especially one that differs from his signature surrealist style, helps fill crucial gaps in understanding the artist's creative journey and evolution.
"Discoveries like this are rare, which makes this find so extraordinary."
Now, the Vecchio Sultano piece has been valued at £20,000 to £30,000 ($26,400 to $39,600) and will be sold at auction by fine art specialists Cheffins in Cambridge on October 23, 2025.
Downie said: "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 honor.
"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 recognizable, this is an unusual piece which shows a different side to his practice when working in watercolor."
Update 08/01/25, 02:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Rosie O'Connor.
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