A dusty garage find in Cambridge, England is turning heads in the art world after a local antiques dealer stumbled upon what’s now confirmed as a lost work by Salvador Dalí — a painting once forgotten, now valued at tens of thousands.

Two years ago, it was just another painting in a pile. Today, it’s getting ready for a high-profile auction with a price tag that could reach $40,000.

A Hidden Gem Found Among the Clutter

The watercolor, called Vecchio Sultano, had quietly sat unnoticed for years. It resurfaced in 2023 when an anonymous antiques dealer attended a routine house clearance sale in Cambridge.

He paid just £150 — about $190 at the time. The painting, oddly intriguing but far from the artist’s surrealist classics, was found in a box with miscellaneous items.

But the dealer wasn’t fooled. Something about the style — and more crucially, a faint signature tucked into the lower corner — made him pause.

Just one word: Dalí.

From Garage Dust to Auction Spotlight

As it turns out, the watercolor had been found in a London garage before ending up in Cambridge. The work is believed to have been created in the 1960s when Dalí was reportedly working on a set of illustrations based on One Thousand and One Nights.

It measures 38 by 29 centimeters and uses both watercolor and felt tip. The subject? A regal sultan in full traditional dress — complete with a flamboyant bejeweled turban — painted with an almost theatrical flair.

Cheffins, the Cambridge auction house now handling the sale, says it’s likely part of an unfinished or forgotten series by Dalí.

One of the auction house representatives, Brett Tryner, described it as “a highly unusual example of Dalí’s work,” adding that while it doesn’t match his iconic melting clocks or bizarre landscapes, it carries unmistakable signs of the master’s hand.

Dalí’s Signature Was the First Clue

For the buyer, it was the signature that kicked off the investigation. It wasn’t prominent. In fact, it looked like it could’ve been fake. But after closer inspection — and help from art specialists — authenticity was confirmed.

That wasn’t easy, though. Dalí’s name has been forged hundreds of times over the years, and his late-life fascination with commercial prints led to widespread confusion about what’s real and what’s not.

But this piece, experts say, checks out.

Here’s what helped:

• The use of watercolor and felt tip, both mediums Dalí worked with during that era.

• The subject matter aligned with his mid-century commissioned illustrations.

• Provenance details matched similar works traced back to Dalí’s projects in the 1960s.

What Makes This Painting So Valuable?

It’s not just the Dalí name. The uniqueness of Vecchio Sultano is part of its appeal. It’s from a rarely seen project — and that boosts curiosity, especially for collectors who’ve already got the typical Dalí pieces on their walls.

Here’s a quick breakdown of why it’s estimated at $40,000:

The piece is slated to go under the hammer in October 2025. And interest is already growing — not just from collectors, but from museums and private buyers abroad.

Not Your Typical Dalí — And That’s the Point

One of the reasons Vecchio Sultano stayed under the radar is because it doesn’t look like what most people associate with Salvador Dalí. There’s no melting landscape, no lobster phones or elephants with stilts.

This is a simpler piece. A portrait. Regal, quiet, but striking.

Some might even say it’s too “normal” to be Dalí.

But that’s exactly why it’s creating such a buzz. Art historian Lydia Minster, who reviewed the work for authenticity, explained that Dalí had many commercial and literary illustration projects throughout the 1950s and 60s that flew under the radar.

“There’s a tendency to reduce Dalí to just his surrealist peak,” she said. “But he worked across genres and formats. Vecchio Sultano is one of those fascinating outliers.”

The Dealer Who Knew What He Was Looking At

The man who bought the painting has chosen to remain anonymous. But insiders say he’s no beginner — he’s been trading antiques for over 20 years and has an eye for signatures, quite literally.

One acquaintance, who asked not to be named, said, “He doesn’t just buy junk. He sees things others miss. That Dalí signature? Most people would’ve walked past it.”

Still, even he was stunned when the authentication came through.

“He thought it might be something, but not this big,” the source added. “It’s not every day you go home with a $40,000 painting for a couple hundred bucks.”

Another Win for House Clearance Treasure Hunters

This isn’t the first time an estate sale has turned up a lost masterpiece. Over the years, rare art has repeatedly surfaced in the most unexpected places — attics, thrift stores, and garage corners.

In 2017, a man in the U.S. found a possible Jackson Pollock painting behind a dusty couch. In 2019, a French woman nearly threw away a long-lost Cimabue valued at $26 million. And now, in 2025, a Dalí joins that list.

These cases prove something:

Sometimes the rarest treasures are the ones hidden in plain sight.