Christie's will auction William Edmondson's Lion (circa 1937) in its January 20 outsider art sale in New York.

William Edmondson (1874-1951) became a stonemason after receiving a message from God

The sculpture, a fine example of Edmondson's work, is expected to bring around $200,000-400,000.

In 2015, Edmondson's Boxer became the most valuable piece of outsider art ever auctioned after it realised $785,000 against a $200,000 estimate.

Whether Lion can beat that result remains to be seen, but as a particularly large and iconic piece from the artist's catalogue it certainly stands a good chance.

The auction takes place as part of Americana Week in New York, which will feature the sale of the Katz and Oestreich Kend collections.