The painting is the work of Belgian illustrator Georges Remi, better known by his nom de plume Herge, who was the author of the Tintin comic books. Herge submitted the painting for his editor as a proposed cover for the pre-World War Two Tintin album "The Blue Lotus," according to the Artcurial auction house. But Herge's publisher rejected the painting, on the grounds that the colours chosen would make it too expensive to print. A different Herge image was used for the cover, and the illustrator instead gave the rejected image as a gift for Jean-Louis Casterman, heir to the publishing house that published the Tintin books. The estimate for the auction is set at between 2.2 million euros and 2.8 million euros.

Source: bd News24 January 13, 2021 18:00 UTC