LONDON: A miniature portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sent by the Austrian composer to his first love — who was also his first cousin — will go on sale in London next month, Sotheby’s said Friday.

Mozart’s present is referred to several times in a series of letters sent to Maria Anna Thekla Mozart, with whom he developed an intimate but fleeting relationship.

The rare 4-centimeter high portrait was made by an anonymous artist in 1777, when Mozart was 21, and Maria Anna was 19.

“One of only two authentic paintings of Mozart remaining in private hands and one of only a dozen or so authentic paintings and drawings of the composer, this object’s significance is virtually unparalleled,” said Stephen Roe, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Books & Manuscripts.

“Mozart’s features come as a revelation when viewed in the flesh; the detail in the face is remarkable, formed by the tiniest dots of gouache applied with the utmost precision and delicacy, and a marvellous luminosity pervades the entire image.”