Banksy - whose identity is not publicly known - has posted the image on his official Instagram feed, a method he often uses to claim ownership of his works.
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The graffiti shows a young girl in a headscarf, stencilled onto the side of a house in the Barton Hill area of Bristol with black and white paint.
She holds a catapult in one hand with the other hand behind her, as though she has just launched a projectile. At the end of the catapult's trajectory is a bright red shape like a blood splatter, made of red plastic leaves and flowers.
It was spotted on Thursday morning, the day before Valentine's Day and a protective covering has been put on the work to protect it.
Banksy's street art often draws attention to social issues by adding elements of darkness to otherwise joyful scenes.
In December last year, the elusive artist highlighted the issue of rough sleeping with a mural showing two flying reindeer pulling a homeless man on a street-bench sleigh, in the central English city of Birmingham.
