![1836IE01-03F-TG.jpg](https://gazette-eu-west2.azureedge.net/media/4489/1836ie01-03f-tg.jpg?width=750&height=500&mode=max&updated=08%2f03%2f2017+16%3a47%3a04)
In excellent condition, this is one of only five gouache designs by Hergé for Tintin book covers and it sold at Euro650,000 (£508,000).
Sale expert Eric Leroy praised the work's modernity and hypnotic appeal, while self-styled 'Tintinologist' Pierre Sterckx told Le Figaro that it was "as inventive as Miró, the red scarf sounds a clarion-call amidst the colour harmony... You can tell Hergé was one of the leading artists of his era, a unique link between comic strips and contemporary art."