Who would have believed it ? A watercolor by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry dating from 1942 which was used in the original edition of the famous tale The Little Prince was sold at auction in London on December 14 for the modest sum of 350,000 dollars, thus multiplying its estimate by 10! Indeed, the initial estimate was between 29,000 and 40,000 euros. An illustration that is worth gold… and which brings in big profits for the Christie’s auction house!

In this drawing, which is extremely rare today, we see the Little Prince talking to a snake in the Sahara desert.

As a reminder, this tale from our childhood, translated throughout the world, is undoubtedly the most read in History. According to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Foundation, the book has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide in 80 years. A breathtaking record! No wonder then that the original drawings are sold for high prices!

Unfortunately, the author was unable to see the incredible and unexpected success of this book since he died at the controls of his plane in the middle of the Second World War, in July 1944, barely a year after publication. English and French versions in New York. But one thing is certain, he could only be proud of such global success...