A JUNIOR version of the Angel of the North is expected to fetch around £2m at auction next month.

Christie’s in London is offering the cast iron maquette of the angel at its sale on October 14.

The maquette is one of five made by sculptor Antony Gormley in 1996-97 prior to the full-scale version destined for Gateshead.

The models are two metres in height and have a five-metre wingspan compared with the 20-metre tall Gateshead Angel, which has wings of 54 metres.

At a Sotheby’s auction in 2008, another of the maquettes sold for £2.28m.

At the time Sotheby’s said: “The maquette for the world-renowned Angel of the North by Antony Gormley is arguably the most widely recognisable public sculpture in the UK.

“Gormley’s Angel of the North has become an icon of the modern, industrial age. The maquette marks a definitive stage in the development of Gormley’s iconic sculpture as it transcended from human to gargantuan proportions.”

Dina Amin, Christie’s contemporary art specialist, said: “The Angel is a fantastic piece of work which is incredibly powerful. It is now an incredible landmark which welcomes people and bids them farewell as they pass it, and also seems to watch over people.”

The Angel of the North was erected in February 1998.