The dark Death of Breuze Sans Pitié is from the collection of the late art historian John Christian

A darker, shocking side of a pre-Raphaelite giant usually known for sensual images of beauty and desire will be seen this week when a once lost painting goes on display at the British Museum.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s The Death of Breuze Sans Pitié has hardly ever been seen in public since it was painted in the late 1850s, and was for decades only known from written descriptions.