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In this paper, we report the results of spectroscopic and photometricobservations of the candidate evolved massive star MN48 disclosed via detectionof a mid-infrared circular shell around it with the Spitzer Space Telescope.Follow-up optical spectroscopy of MN48 with the Southern African LargeTelescope (SALT) carried out in 2011--2015 revealed significant changes in thespectrum of this star, which are typical of luminous blue variables (LBVs). TheLBV status of MN48 was further supported by photometric monitoring which showsthat in 2009--2011 this star has brightened by approx 0.9 and 1 mag in the Vand I_c bands, respectively, then faded by approx 1.1 and 1.6 mag during thenext four years, and apparently started to brighten again recently. Thedetected changes in the spectrum and brightness of MN48 make this star the 18thknown Galactic bona fide LBV and increase the percentage of LBVs associatedwith circumstellar nebulae to more than 70 per cent. We discuss the possiblebirth place of MN48 and suggest that this star might have been ejected eitherfrom a putative star cluster embedded in the HII region IRAS 16455-4531 or theyoung massive star cluster Westerlund 1.

MN48: a new Galactic bona fide luminous blue variable revealed by Spitzer and SALT