Renowned Chinese painter Xu Beihong's oil painting "Bath" will be auctioned this Sunday by China Guardian Auctions at its 2003 winter session in Guangzhou.

The painting is expected to be the hottest item at the auction and probably reach a record price.

The estimated price provided by the auction house is between 5.5-7.8 million yuan. "Bath" is Xu Beihong's early work from 1924, and is considered to be the largest and best preserved of all his nude oil paintings.

Xu's other work  "The Three Riders" was auctioned for HK$6.6 million by Christie in 2001. It set the record for Xu's works as well as any Chinese oil painting auction price.

Editor: Wings