Hergé - Lot 164

Hergé HERGÉ TINTIN Original illustration, title essay for the chronicles Les entretiens du Capitaine Haddock, first published in in Le Journal de Tintin n° 1, September 26, 1946, accompanied by its certificate of authenticity. Signed. India ink on paper 29 × 10.4 cm (11.42 × 4.09 in.) Putting together the first issue of Journal de Tintin in 1946 was a major undertaking. "On the editorial side, Hergé did most of the work," recounts Raymond Leblanc: "We're going to put together a team, he had told me, and I'd see it like that..." We agreed on the number of pages to be published, 12 at the time. Hergé replied: "Well, we'll take a look at it and get back to you with a mock-up. And this mock-up was basically created by Jacques Van Melkebeke and Hergé, who brought in the team: Jacobs and Laudy, followed shortly afterwards by Cuvelier. These four authors did practically all the work for the magazine...". Hergé, well-versed in advertising communications, was very involved, and produced a number of headpieces and lamp-ends, magnificent creations with impeccable lettering. This one features Captain Haddock in a section dedicated to him, a sort of marine dictionary, present in the magazine from No. 2 onwards. It's a beautiful drawing, in a pleasant format, in Indian ink heightened by a gray wash. The old sailor poses with a horizon line behind him, with a sail in the distance. Close examination of the drawing reveals that he had originally intended it to depict La Licorne. Indeed, traces of the pencil sketch from an earlier drawing can still be seen. Hergé simply realized that it would be more effective to place a model of La Licorne on the lower edge of the frame, which is also found in the Captain's bottle. The typography of the Tintin albums, developed in the pre-war period by Evany (Eugène Van Nijverseel), is used here. The headband will remain with its heading until 1947. The work was invoiced by Hergé's agent, Bernard Thièry. A piece that should capture the heart of any well-born collector! Didier Pasamonik