An original painting by Tintin creator, Herge, has sold for a record $3.9 million at an online auction, French auction house Artcurial said.

The painting was intended as a front cover for "The Blue Lotus" volume from the series of children's novels, 'The adventures of Tintin' back in 1936. 

But publishers decided that the painting would be too expensive to replicate so went for a simpler version instead.

The artwork beat the previous record of $3.22 million for a sale of comic book art, set by another Herge painting back in 2014.

CLICK: WOULD YOU FEED THIS TO YOUR CHILD FOR A WEEK?

The creation measures 34 x 34 centimeters and features Tintin and his dog Snowy emerging from a porcelain jar in front of a depiction of a Chinese dragon.

The Blue Lotus novel unfolds in China, as Tintin takes on the task of trying to wipe out the international opium trade, which has a grip on the country.

With the assistance of the secret society 'Sons of the Dragon' and his friend Chang, Tintin overcomes several hurdles to disband the network of corruption.

Rob Salkowitz, author of "Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture", said he was not surprised that the record was broken.

"Tintin is the most iconic and beloved character in the European comics pantheon, with fans worldwide. Since there is a limited supply of original pages, they always command very high prices," he said.

Herge, a Belgian cartoonist who's real name was George Remi, sold over 230 million Tintin albums before his death in 1983.

The cartoonist's estate is highly controlled, according to Salkowitz, so "collectors can't be choosy," he added.