John Constable was at the height of his career when he showed a series of ethereal landscapes, including "The Hay Wain," at the Royal Academy in 1824. 'The Lock' sold immediately and when Constable returned to his studio, he recreated the painting to keep for himself.

That second version of The Lock is now set for the auction block this December, emerging for the first time on the market in 160 years. Sotheby's has given it a conservative estimate of up to £12m.

After changing hands a few times after Constable's death, The Lock spent 100 years in the smoking room of Apley Hall, Shropshire. It has been owned by descendants of Worcestershire industrialist William Orme Foster, whose company manufactured the first steam locomotive to run on a U.S. railway.

David Moore-Gywn, British paintings consultant to Sotheby’s, said: “For many people, Constable captures, like no other artist, the essence and beauty of the English countryside.

"This is quite simply one of the most loved and celebrated works in the history of British Art and also one of a very small handful of great Constables still in private hands.”