Hergé (Georges Remi), “Tintin in America,” China ink drawing, 8.2 by 5.9 inches, one of four-color plates of the 1937 edition of the book by the Belgian cartoonist, sold for $798,000. © Hergé/Moulinsart 2017.
PARIS (AFP) — A rare original drawing of Tintin from the comic book album “Tintin in America” sold for $798,000 on April 8, the Artcurial auction house said.
The 8.2-by5.9-inch China ink drawing by the Belgian cartoonist known as Herge, one of four-color plates of the 1937 edition of the book, was valued at $635/740,000.
The drawing, sold with its color overlay, shows the intrepid boy reporter, revolver in hand, standing on the running board of a speeding taxi chasing evil-doers in the streets of Chicago.
The price almost surpassed the record-setting price of $815,000 for another Herge drawing sold in 2015, Eric Leroy, a comic books expert at Artcurial, told AFP.
“This proves the market stability of Herge,” Leroy said. “Collectors are always interested in very beautiful pieces, which was the case today. This drawing with its color overlay really has the quality of a museum piece.”
A “European buyer” walked away with the winning bid, Artcurial said in a statement, adding that more than 80 percent of the items up for auction found buyers.
Another Tintin drawing, which sold for $70,000, shows crusty sailor Captain Haddock wearing a plumed hat and brandishing a sword alongside Tintin and his dog Snowy. It was a “record” price for this type of drawing, Leroy said, valued at $15/20,000 before the auction.
A drawing of Tintin with a model of the Unicorn vessel went for nearly $69,000.
Herge color plates — limited to four in each of eight black-and-white albums from “Tintin in the Congo” (1931) to “The Crab with the Golden Claws” (1941) — rarely appear on the market.
But original Tintin comic book drawings have been known to fetch millions at auctions over the years.
In November 2016, a drawing from “Explorers on the Moon” sold for $1.64 million at Artcurial, setting a record for a single cartoon drawing.
