La Laitiere (The Milkmaid), a work by the Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt, is up for auction at Sotheby's.

The work has not been seen since in public 1892

The work is valued at £300,000-500,000 ($439,378-732,297) prior to a sale of 19th century paintings in London on May 25.

It has been housed in a French collection for around 75 years and has not been publicly exhibited since 1892.

Claude Piening, Sotheby's head of 19th century paintings, comments: "It is always thrilling when long-lost masterpieces such as this come to light…

"[The painting] may have remained in France for the last century, and its re-appearance on the market now is an exciting moment for Finnish art."

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