The first original cover art featuring the popular comic character Tintin, Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin Vol. 1: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, was sold for $1.12million (over R15.5m) by Heritage Auctions in a sale of European Comic Art in Dallas, Texas, last month.
The remarkable discovery is one of the few known privately owned cover illustrations signed by Hergé, and also the oldest. In addition, the 1930 artwork is the first cover image featuring both Tintin and Snowy, his faithful canine companion.
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name of Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century.