BEIJING A Chinese calligraphy on silk containing a mere 41 characters sold at auction in Beijing for an astronomical 308 million yuan ($46 million), state media reported on Monday.

The rare scroll, measuring 24.5 by 13.8 centimetres (9.8 by 5.5 inches), with four lines of script, was a copy of a work by Wang Xizhi (303-361), a Jin dynasty figure who is acclaimed as the Sage of Calligraphy.

None of Wang's works are known to have survived and experts believe the lot sold on Saturday was a copy dating from the Tang dynasty (618-907).

It was the second-highest amount ever paid for an artwork sold at auction in China, the state Xinhua news agency said.

The auctioneers, China Guardian, did not give details of the buyer. The record was set in 2009, also for a calligraphy, which sold for 436.8 million yuan (close to $66).—AFP