An ancient limestone lion that fits neatly in the palm of your hand fetched an eye-popping $57 million Wednesday - the most money ever paid for an auctioned sculpture.

The sale had Sotheby’s officials roaring with delight because they figured the Guennol Lioness from Mesopotamia would bring no more than $18 million.

The 3-1/4-inch figure, found at a site near Baghdad, had been on loan from Alastair and Edith Martin to the Brooklyn Museum for nearly 60 years. It is thought to be at least 5,000 years old.

The family decided to sell the tiny work of art for financial planning reasons, the auction house said. It was sold through a charitable trust set up by the Martins, and the proceeds will benefit the trust.

There were at least five bidders at the sale. The anonymous winner started bidding at the $27 million mark.

The previous record for a sculpture at auction was Pablo Picasso’s bronze “Tete de Femme,” which sold at Sotheby’s earlier this year for $29 million.