Topline
An original watercolor work that was later used as the cover for the first book in the Harry Potter series is expected to become the most expensive item from the franchise ever sold when it hits the auction block at Sotheby’s later this year.
Key Facts
The piece of art, painted by artist Thomas Taylor when he was 23 years old, will be auctioned off this June and is expected to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000, according to Sotheby’s—the highest pre-sale estimate ever placed on Harry Potter-related work.
The watercolor painting was featured on the first edition covers of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in 1997 and was used by Bloomsbury Publishing for a commemorative reprint of the book to mark its 25th anniversary last year.
The illustration was first auctioned by Sotheby’s London in 2001, when only four of the seven books in the series had been published, and broke a then-record for the franchise by fetching $107,000 (£85,750).
The work will be auctioned off as part of a sale titled “The Library of Dr. Rodney P. Swantko” on June 26, which will also include a handwritten manuscript for J.K. Rowling’s “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” a fairytale book referenced in “Harry Potter” that was not originally intended for publication—it is expected to sell for between $250,000 and $350,000.
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Big Number
$421,000. That is currently the record for the most expensive Harry Potter item ever sold, an unsigned first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” auctioned off in Dallas in 2021.
Key Background
The request to create the first ever Harry Potter cover art was offered to Taylor when he was working in a children’s bookstore by Bloomsbury Publishing and was the artist’s first ever professional commission, according to Sotheby’s. Taylor became one of the first people to ever reach the original manuscript for “Philosopher’s Stone” and he created the work in just two days using concentrated watercolors on cold pressed watercolor paper. Most international publishers used the art for the cover of the now-iconic book, but it was not used for the American edition, which was published under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The work depicts a young Harry Potter clad in a scarf of Gryffindor colors and standing in front of the Hogwarts Express, the train that would take him to his first year of wizarding school.
What To Watch For
The artwork and the handwritten copy of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” will be available for viewing by the public at Sotheby’s New York from June 21 to 25.
