NEW YORK (The Associated Press)—A Norman Rockwell painting of Santa Claus perched on a stepladder sold for $2.17 million at auction.

The painting, Extra Good Boys and Girls, is the original of a Saturday Evening Post cover from 1939.

It shows Santa going over his book of good boys and girls and planning his Christmas Eve route. A world map is in the background.

Both the seller and the buyer were anonymous. The buyer was an American who was present at the Rockefeller Center auction house, according to Christie's.

The auction Thursday was part of Christie's sale of important American paintings, drawings and sculptures. The price includes the auction house's commission.