Sayart.net - Salvador Dalí Painting Bought for $190 Now Estimated Worth Up to $37,000 at Auction

A Salvador Dalí painting purchased for just 173.50 euros ($190) at a house clearance sale in 2023 is now set to go under the hammer with an estimated value between 23,000 and 34,000 euros ($25,000-$37,000) at an upcoming auction. The sale of this forgotten masterpiece is scheduled to take place on October 23, 2025, in Cambridge, England. The Spanish surrealist master would likely have been amused by this remarkable turn of events. The artwork, titled "The Old Sultan," dates back to 1966 and was created entirely using watercolor and felt-tip pen techniques. This piece belongs to Dalí's ambitious "One Thousand and One Nights" collection, which was designed to celebrate and honor Middle Eastern cultures. However, according to The Guardian, this particular work had never been made public by the surrealist artist during his lifetime. The "One Thousand and One Nights" series was originally conceived to include 500 individual paintings, but the famous Spanish painter only managed to complete 100 of the planned works. Of those finished pieces, approximately half have since been damaged or lost over the decades, making surviving works like "The Old Sultan" particularly valuable and rare. The painting was discovered in 2023 by an astute antique dealer who noticed the artist's distinctive signature tucked away in a corner of the canvas during a routine house clearance sale. This eagle-eyed observation proved to be an excellent find for the buyer, who later made an even more significant discovery when examining the back of the canvas. There, they found stickers indicating that the painting had previously been put up for auction at the prestigious Sotheby's auction house during the 1990s, adding further provenance and legitimacy to the work. The authenticity of the artwork has since been officially certified by a recognized Dalí expert, who also established the current estimated auction value. This discovery represents yet another remarkable story in the art world where forgotten or overlooked masterpieces resurface in unexpected places, often purchased for modest sums before their true value is recognized. The upcoming Cambridge auction is expected to draw significant interest from collectors and art enthusiasts worldwide, given both the rarity of Dalí's "One Thousand and One Nights" series and the fascinating backstory of this particular piece's rediscovery. Such finds highlight the ongoing treasure hunt aspect of the art market, where valuable works can still be discovered in the most unlikely circumstances, turning a modest investment into a substantial windfall for lucky buyers who recognize quality when they see it.