Identification of the mummy that inspired Hergé’s character Rascar Capac

This article puts an end to speculation about the source of inspiration of the Belgian cartoonist Hergé in the creation of his iconic character of Rascar Capac, the mummy of an Inca king in the comic “The Adventures of Tintin”. We review the hypotheses proposed in this respect by reviewing Hergé’s u...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Ziemendorff, Stefan
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Perú
Institución:Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
Repositorio:Revistas - Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
Idioma:español
inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:revistasinvestigacion.unmsm.edu.pe:article/24060
Acceso en línea:https://revistasinvestigacion.unmsm.edu.pe/index.php/sociales/article/view/24060
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Hergé
Rascar Capac
art history
mummy
Chachapoyas
historia del arte
momia
Descripción
Sumario:This article puts an end to speculation about the source of inspiration of the Belgian cartoonist Hergé in the creation of his iconic character of Rascar Capac, the mummy of an Inca king in the comic “The Adventures of Tintin”. We review the hypotheses proposed in this respect by reviewing Hergé’s use of sources for the creation of his imagery, before comparing the iconography of the image of Rascar Capac with the images proposed as source of inspiration. The conclusion is that the character of Rascar Capac is inspired by a drawing in the French encyclopaedia Larousse, which represents a mummy from the Chachapoyas area in northern Peru. This mummy is on display at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, so the idea that a mummy on display at the Cinquantenaire Museum in Brussels was the source of inspiration is ruled out.