An oil on canvas by Colombian painter Fernando Botero depicting four rotund card players sold for $1.7 million dollars at a Latin American art auction in New York, according to Sotheby's auction house.

The painting, Jugadoras de Cartas II (1989), or Card Players II, was purchased Monday by an American buyer, Sotheby's said. The painting shows Botero's trademark rotund figures, including two naked women playing cards with two clothed men.

Of the evening's 10 most expensive items, four were created by Botero, who has also had a separate New York exhibition inspired by the abuse committed by US soldiers against Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison.

The Abu Ghraib exhibition, which opened October 18, was to end Tuesday at Marlborough Gallery in Manhattan.

Another noteworthy lot sold Monday was Tres Mujeres Caminando (Three Women Walking) by Francisco Zuniga, which went to a Mexican buyer for more than one million dollars.

The auction fetched a total of 14 million dollars. The Latin American art auction ends Wednesday in New York.

Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse