A painting by Xu Beihong (1895-1953), one of the most famous modern Chinese artists, was sold for 6.27 million yuan (about 755,000 US dollars) at a local auction in Beijing Tuesday.

The painting, titled "Ten Horses in the Mountains in Spring," fetched the highest price for a work by Xu.

In 1993, another work by him depicting horses was auctioned for 3.32 million HK dollars in Hong Kong.

Xu was a master at painting horses, but it is rare to see 10 horses in one painting, according to experts.

The painting auctioned Tuesday was created by Xu for a resident of Singapore. From 1925 to 1942, the hard-up artist offered his paintings to rich overseas Chinese there.

(People's Daily   November 26, 2003)