Banksy's world famous Girl with a Pierced Eardrum is given a coronavirus twist after a blue surgical mask is placed over the mural (6 Pics)

A world-famous Banksy has been given - a coronavirus face mask.

The blue surgical mask has been placed over the graffiti artist's 'The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum' in Bristol.

It depicts a take on Vermeer's famous Girl with a Pearl Earring, replacing the earring with an outdoor security alarm.

The world famous Banksy mural, The Girl with a Pierced Eardrum has been fitted with a face mask during the Covid-19 crisis 

The mural, pictured, appeared overnight in Bristol in October 2014 but was soon defaced by black paint which was sprayed across the wall

The mural appeared on the side of a building in Bristol's Albion Docks in the city's harbourside in October 2014

Banksy normally confirms his new artworks on his Instagram page after it appears in public 

The art first appeared on the side of a building in Albion Docks in Hanover Place, in Bristol's Harbourside in October 2014.

It is not known who placed the mask on the image - or whether it was even the anonymous Banksy himself.

Earlier, Banksy shared some of the art he has been creating at home during the Covid-19 lockdown. 

The mysterious street artist gave fans a rare insight into his life in lockdown by sharing a series of images of his bathroom covered in his notorious rat sketches, which have featured in his previous artworks, alongside the caption: 'My wife hates it when I work from home'.

The comical scene, which was shared on the artist's Instagram page, showed the rodents knocking the bathroom mirror to one side, hanging on the light pull, swinging on a towel ring and stepping on a tube of toothpaste.

One sketch showed a rat skipping on a roll of toilet paper, causing the tissue to roll down and across the floor.

While another rat was seen urinating against the toilet seat.

Elsewhere, one rat was reflected in the mirror apparently tallying up the days in lockdown in red lipstick while another appeared to hold onto a towel ring as it stepped onto a tube of toothpaste.

The artist used his notorious rat drawings to create a comical scene in his bathroom while in lockdown 

Banksy took to Instagram to share a series of images which showed his bathroom covered in his notorious rat sketches

After the artist shared his latest creation from the confines of his home, social media users flocked to his Instagram page to offer their thoughts on the unusual art, with one hailing it a 'masterpiece'.

One user wrote: 'Just made your restroom worth more than your whole house.'

While another: 'Just made your restroom worth more than your whole house.'

Meanwhile another person added: 'We'll try not to rat you out.'

Banksy's latest creation comes over a month after vandals ruined his Valentine's Day-inspired masterpiece by sprawling explicit graffiti across the street art.

The artwork, which was seen on the side of a house in the Barton Hill area of Bristol, was vandalised a mere 24 hours after Banksy confirmed it was genuine.

The anonymous street artist, who made his name with his trademark stencil-style 'guerrilla' art in public spaces, including on walls in London, Brighton, Bristol and on the West Bank barrier separating Israel and Palestine, is known to create his masterpieces under the cover of darkness.

He will often confirm he is the creator of a piece of artwork by posting images of them on Instagram or on his website.

Establishing himself as the world's most elusive artist, the 'graffiti guerrilla', who began his street art 25 years ago, has seen his works coveted by collectors and celebrities including the Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.