London, Jan 19 : A picture sketched by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has fetched a record 37 million roubles (750,000 pounds) at a charity auction in his hometown of St Petersburg.

Painted with pastels, Putin's artwork depicts a wintery night sky seen through a peasant''s window framed by traditional lace curtains embroidered with beads and red stitching, reports the Guardian.

The word `pattern' is daubed underneath the bottom lattice, while Putin has signed his name over the pelmet.

The artwork is part of a collection of 26 paintings - one for each letter of the alphabet - drawn by Russian celebrities and commissioned by the Tsarskoe Selo carnival, a cultural fund based in St Petersburg.

It has become the most expensive painting ever sold in Russia.

Natalya Kurnikova, the Moscow gallery owner who bought the artwork, said she had done so because it could be the first and last painting of its kind. (ANI)