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The original artwork for the first edition of J.K. Rowling’s 1997 novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” has shattered expectations and records when it sold last week for a record C$2.6 million at Sotheby’s auction in New York.
Originally auctioned in London in 2001, the illustration sold for almost $108,033 US. This sale was notable as significant, as the art sold for large increase over its estimated value, pushing the ceiling on book art sales. Fast forward two decades, and we find this same piece of art blowing the roof of the ceiling.
The previous record for a Harry Potter-related item was held by an unsigned first edition of the same book, which sold for C$576,000 in 2021.
The piece, created by author and illustrator Thomas Taylor, was initially expected to fetch up to $600,000 USD; however an intense bidding war had it surpassing this estimate threefold. Sotheby’s reported that for nearly 10 minutes, four parties, bid fast and high to claim the coveted prize.
The watercolor cover shows a young Harry Potter, characterized by his distinctive features: dark, tousled hair, round glasses, and a lightning bolt scar, ready to embark on his journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Taylor was just 23 and working in a bookstore when he received his first professional commission to create a cover for J.K. Rowling’s first novel. He was one of the first people to read the manuscript for the original book, and it took him only two days to create the artwork.
Although Taylor’s artwork graced various international editions, it was not on the US edition which was, retitled “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, due to the term “Philosopher” having a different meaning in the US than in the UK.
The recent Sotheby’s auction featured other notable illustrations of English and American Literature.
An avid book reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in education, emergency response, fitness, loves to be in nature, traveling and exploring. With an honours science degree in anthropology, Angela also studied writing after graduation. She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Best Version Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca.
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