Banksy has confirmed that the mural of a sneezing woman which appeared overnight in Bristol is his.
The clandestine street artist laid claim to it in an oblique post on Instagram on Thursday featuring the artwork and the word "Aachoo!!"
Instagram is his platform of choice for such revelations.
The mystery piece features an elderly woman in a headscarf who is sneezing while her dentures fly into the air.
It is the second Banksy to appear in public in as many months after a hula-hooping girl piece was revealed in Nottingham in October and has been covered by a sheet of Perspex for protection.
Bristol resident Dale Comley told the BBC said he saw “a man in a hi-vis jacket” early on Thursday morning who he believed was Banksy.
"I saw a man in a hi-vis jacket leaning against the railings opposite – he was looking at the wall the whole time," he said. "Then about an hour later I looked out and saw loads of people in the street.”
Vale Street, where the artwork appeared, is said to be England’s steepest road. Each year, locals use its slope for an Easter egg-rolling contest.
Banksy, whose identity has never been revealed, first cut his teeth in Bristol’s underground scene in the 1990s. The artist now has a cult following and his works typically sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
