The original artwork for the last two pages of the Tintin comic book King Ottokar’s Sceptre sold for a total of 1.046 million euros (US$1.2 million) at auction on Saturday in Paris.
“This is only the second time a Tintin plate has exceeded 1 million euros,” said Eric Leroy, comic book expert at French auction house Artcurial.
WATERCOLOR
A double page plate also from King Ottokar’s Sceptre sold for more than 1.5 million euros at Sotheby’s in Paris in October last year.
Artcurial had estimated Saturday’s lot would fetch between 600,000 and 800,000 euros, before fees.
“Over 1 million euros, this is an excellent result,” Leroy said. “Herge’s universe still conquers,” Leroy added, referring to the cartoonist behind the famous comic.
The work in blue watercolor, gouache and ink was bought on the telephone “by a European collector, a long-time fan,” Leroy said.
COMMENTARY
Published in 1939, King Ottokar’s Sceptre is the eighth installment of the adventures of the intrepid boy reporter by the Belgian artist Herge.
Intended by Herge as criticism of Nazi Germany, Tintin helps thwart a plot to overthrow the king of a fictional central European country which is threatened by an aggressive neighbor.
Tintin works are becoming increasingly popular with collectors.
An ink drawing for the cover pages of the Tintin books published from 1937 to 1958 was sold for 2.65 million euros by Artcurial in 2014, a world record.
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