Untitled (Ambiguous Flower No.4), by Xie Nanxing. Photos provided to China Daily

Sotheby's Beijing auction of modern and contemporary Chinese art on Sunday grossed 165 million yuan ($25.8 million).

The top lot was a painting, Untitled (Ambiguous Flower No.4), by Xie Nanxing, 45, who is based in Beijing and Chengdu, which fetched 2.12 million yuan.

The market displayed a highly cautious attitude but the sale showed a stable performance of works by middle-aged and established artists said a spokesman for the international auction house.

Xu Lei's ink painting Wondering in the City sold for 2 million yuan while Yuan Yuan's oil on canvas sold for 920,000 yuan.