A self-portrait of Lucian Freud nursing a black eye after a punch-up with a taxi driver sold for more than £2.8 million when it went under the hammer.

Sotheby's described the rediscovered oil on canvas Self-Portrait With A Black Eye, circa 1978, as "the artist's most important self-depiction ever to appear at auction".

The auctioneer revealed the painting sold for £2,841,250.

This was under the estimate of £3 million to £4 million.

In the picture above, Freud, aged almost 60 at the time, is shown sporting a swollen left eye, as the result of a row between the artist and a taxi driver, during which Freud was struck in the face.

Suffering for his art, Freud was said to have retreated to his studio rather than seek treatment - using his crumpled, swollen features as the inspiration for the important new work. The painting was included in Sotheby's London Evening Sale of Contemporary Art on Wednesday night.