Q: I have a Salvador Dali etching of El Cid. There is a certificate of authenticity glued to the back that states it is an original etching. The certificate is from the Collectors Guild of New York City. I’m curious about the value.

A: Salvador Dali was a famous 20th-century Spanish surrealist painter. Besides painting, he also experimented with sculpture, film and photography. In the early 1960s, he was commissioned to make a print series titled “Five Spanish Immortals” and based on historic Spaniards. The five included El Cid. The original etchings were printed in a total edition of 180 on two types of paper, one in black ink and one in sepia ink. Each example of this edition was hand-signed by Dali in pencil on the lower right corner. Many were marketed by the Collectors Guild. In 1968 the Collectors Guild published a new edition of the “Immortals.” For this edition, Dali etched his name into the printing plate instead of hand-signing the prints. Thousands were printed. A rare hand-signed edition sold at auction in 2012 for $250. An etched-signature edition recently sold for $40.

 

 

One response to “Salvador Dali Print”

  1. eyb says:

    I just received a Dali etching from his “Immortals” series. It purports to be an artist’s proof (E.A. In the bottom left) and hand signed in the bottom right. The print is in sepia and I can just make out Dali’s name signed in the plate, consistent with later Collector’s Guild editions. I’m trying to ascertain whether this print is authentic. I read somewhere that Dali stopped hand signing these prints after he etched his name into the plate for later editions. Any info can provide would be greatly appreciated!

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