A marble bust by a comparatively lesser-known artist became the first work of sculpture to break through the million dollar mark at an Australian auction, as Smith & Singer sold up a $14.5 million storm in Sydney.

Half a dozen bidders defied economic headwinds to send Joel Elenberg’s Mask 1, 1978, soaring past its $350,000 to $450,000 presale estimate. The work in black Belgian marble fetched $1,156,250 (including the auctioneer’s buyer’s premium, as do all figures in this article).