The auction of a portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong was cancelled on Friday after the owner said he might donate it to a Chinese museum.

The painting, which served as a model for portraits hung on Beijing's Tian'anmen Rostrum for decades, was scheduled to go under the hammer at Huachen Auction Co Ltd on June 3.

Workers display the portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong at an auction preview in Beijing May 17, 2006. [Xinhua]

But the plan led to intense online criticism when it was revealed a week ago, with many people saying the portrait was a national treasure and should not be sold.

Following the debate, the auction house put up a notice on its website on Friday saying that it was not going to sell the portrait following "advice from the government."

It added that the owner of the painting was in discussion with a number of museums in China about donating the artwork.

The painting, owned by a Chinese American, was expected to fetch 1-1.2 million yuan (US$120,000-150,000) at the upcoming auction in Beijing.

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