Ford Madox Brown missing artwork to be displayed

A copy of the painting sold for £100,000 in 2006 at an auction in London

A painting by British artist Ford Madox Brown, which was thought to be lost, is to go on display for the first time in 115 years.

The Seraph's Watch was last seen in publicly in 1896, before it was sold. The work will be exhibited at the Manchester Art Gallery next month.

Curator Julian Treuherz found the artwork within a private collection two years ago.

Madox Brown was one of the leading figures in Pre-Raphaelite art.

The exhibition will feature 140 pieces of his work, including Madox Brown's most famous artwork, The Last of England.

Existence of The Seraph's Watch was only discovered because of a copy made by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

After admiring the original, he apparently wrote to Madox Brown asking to become his pupil.

The first task he was given was to make a copy of the painting, which sold for £100,000 at an auction in 2006.

The original artwork was last seen publicly at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in London, three years after the death of Madox Brown.

Dr Maria Balshaw, director of Manchester Galleries, said the exhibition will be a "unique Manchester experience".

Ford Madox Brown: Pre-Raphaelite Pioneer will be at Manchester Art Gallery from 24 September - 29 January 2012.