Madonna - Nude Madonna Image To Be Sold At Auction

The sexy shot was taken in 1990 by Steven Meisel, the snapper who worked on the pop superstar's Sex book in 1992, and it was previously purchased by its current owner from a New York gallery.

The nude image is now set to go under the hammer at Bonhams auction house in New York on 8 May (12).

Bonhams' representative Judith Eurich says, "This is an absolutely stunning image and it is just a beautiful tone of grey. It is not just black and white it is grey and silvery.

"Madonna was posing for a number of photographers at the time this was taken in the 1990s when she was in her early 30s.

"She was going through a phase of having bleach blonde hair and heavy dark eye make-up that gave her a dramatic look - and of course she has a gorgeous body. She is a very healthy person and I'd imagine the cigarette is just a prop to make her look sexy and sultry. There are Madonna superfans and devotees across the world who would love to own it."

Ironically, news of the auction item comes just a week after Madonna publicly reprimanded her teenage daughter Lourdes after she was snapped smoking in public.

The pop star snarled, "Cigarette smoking, I'm not very fond of, for anyone. I don't approve of anyone smoking cigarettes - most of all my daughter."