A common English antiquarian, known under the pseudonym of John Russell, has experienced the dream of every collector: to buy at a domestic eviction rod an authentic work of Salvador Dalí for the negligible figure of £ 150 (about 173 euros). The work in question, entitled Vecchio Sultano, is now evaluated up to 30,000 pounds.
An interrupted project and a forgotten work
The painting, made in 1966, was part of an ambitious commission of 500 illustrations inspired by The thousand and one nighta project then abandoned by Dalí after completing only 100 of them. Of these, half were lost, while the other half was kept by the Italians Giuseppe and Mara Albaretto, friends and patron of the painter, until the posthumous publication in 2014.
A lucky discovery (and a little random)
The picture was found in a London garage and beaten in a small non -online rod. Russell, accustomed to these sales in presence, recognized Dalí’s signature and noticed labels on the back indicating a previous step from Sotheby’s. A precious clue, which prompted him to try the purchase, although he is not sure of the actual value of the piece.
The official certification
The definitive confirmation came after a verification with the expert Nicolas Descharnes, a figure of reference in the studies on Dalí, who certified the work as authentic. The style, colors and size match with other pieces of the same cycle. According to Descharnes, although it does not fall into the classic surrealist style, old sultan perfectly corresponds to other works of the series both for technique, for subjects and materials.
Auction by Cheffins with record esteem
The work, made with watercolor and marker on paper, will be put on sale by the Cambridge cheffins house next October, with an estimate between $ 25,000 and 37,000 dollars. A sensational return for a job considered disappeared, and a confirmation that, in certain auctions, luck smiles at those who know how to recognize it.
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