A nude painting of Sean Connery has been unearthed in Scotland

It is the kind of artwork that James Bond would probably display on his wall with pride.

But until now, an oil painting said to depict a young Sir Sean Connery wearing nothing but a thong has been hidden from view in a little-used darkroom.

The artist Robert Webster, known as Rab, painted the actor, who later played 007, in 1951.

Mr Webster was a student at the Edinburgh College of Art, and a 21-year-old Sir Sean modelled for his class.

Following Mr Webster’s death last month at the age of 83, his family have decided to stage an exhibition of his work – including the previously unseen image of Sir Sean, now 80, and his bare back.

Nick Bihel, who is married to Mr Webster’s niece Heather, said: ‘There were a few sketches of Sean Connery which are distributed among the family, so to speak.

‘The oil painting was part of a whole load of paintings just stacked on top of each other in a studio he used as a darkroom.

'It’s a totally unseen collection. We always knew he had done work of Sean Connery.

'Sean Connery was a male model for art classes at the college when Rab Webster was there.’

The exhibition is expected to include 50 paintings created by Mr Webster between around 1945 and 1967.