Thursday's sale of the topless photo of Bruni by photographer Michel Comte sparked a bidding war among potential buyers, the New York Daily News reported.

"There was a protracted bidding battle on the phone, on the Internet and in the room," said Rik Pike of Christie's.

Still, the first lady's photo selling price didn't compete with a photo of Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen or old-school French bombshell Brigitte Bardot.

A bare-chested photo of Bundchen drew a top bid of $193,000, while a portrait of Bardot by Richard Avedon sold for $181,000.

The 135 photos were from a collection of Gert Elfering, who had bought up iconic images of gorgeous women, especially in their birthday suits, the Daily News said.