Characters

Just as Alfred Hitchcock made furtive appearances in his films, Hergé couldn’t resist joining in the adventures of his characters. He discreetly drew himself into the scenery, appearing as a reporter dutifully taking notes when Tintin embarks for the Congo, or interviewing a local in front of the gates to Marlinspike Hall, in hope of gaining the latest on the story of the broken glass in The Calculus Affair. In Hergé’s universe, it’s hard to find a character that has been created from scratch: most were inspired by real people who were either close to the author in some way, historical figures or celebrities at the time.

Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine

Surname: Sakharine
First names: Ivan - Ivanovitch
Occupation: Russian collector of model ships

*The Secret of the Unicorn* - page 3 vignette C2

This strange gentleman, whom Tintin first meets at the Old Street Market, is a collector of antique model ships; like all collectors, Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine is willing to spend a fortune to acquire a piece that is missing from his collection. So he offers Tintin a price seven times higher than that of the old second-hand dealer in an attempt to buy back ‘The Unicorn’.

He owns a large series of works related to sailing ships and had the great privilege of owning the model of one of Sir Francis Haddock’s three “Unicorns”. Sakharine fell victim to Mr. Barnaby, the Bird brothers' henchman, who chloroformed him in order to get hold of the Unicorn scroll. He apparently remained on good terms with Captain Haddock and his friends, agreeing to have his copy of “The Unicorn” included in the inauguration of the Maritime Gallery at Marlinspike Hall.

Characters

From Abdullah to Zorrino

Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine