London - Original drawing for the first Harry Potter volume auctioned for millions
For a record sum of 1.9 million US Dollars (1.78 million Euro), the original drawing for the first Harry Potter book was sold in New York. The watercolor illustration by the British artist Thomas Taylor on the English first edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is now "the most valuable Harry Potter object ever sold at auction," according to Sotheby's, announced on a Wednesday.
Four bidders competed online and on the phone for ten minutes over the work before it was sold with applause, it was further reported. The auction house had anticipated bids between 400,000 and 600,000 US Dollars.
When Taylor drew the iconic image of Harry Potter in 1997, he was only 23 years old. The young artist was working in a children's bookshop in English Cambridge at the time, when he was commissioned by Bloomsbury Publisher Barry Cunningham to illustrate the book for J.K. Rowling's soon-to-be-published book about the young wizard with round glasses and a lightning scar on his forehead.
Today, Taylor writes and illustrates his own stories, he declared to Sotheby's. But he is "proud to look back on these magical beginnings," according to Sotheby's book specialist Kalika Sands.
"Harry Potter" – a surprising success
Taylor was one of the first readers of the book – according to Sotheby's book specialist Kalika Sands, he received one of the first manuscript copies that served as a reference for his illustrations. He had therefore "known the Harry Potter world before anyone else," said Sands to the news agency AFP. So he was completely free in his imagination of the young wizard.
Rowling and Taylor were unknown at the time of the book's publication. With such a global success of the books, no one had anticipated at the release of the first book. According to Sotheby's, only 500 copies of the first edition were printed. 300 of them were reportedly distributed to libraries.
The first "Harry Potter" book was released on June 26, 1997. To date, the seven books have sold over 500 million copies worldwide, they have been translated into 80 languages. The novels were filmed into eight parts, which grossed around 6.5 billion Euros at the worldwide box office.
Sotheby's Holdings announced that Thomas Taylor's watercolor illustration for the first "Harry Potter" book sold for a record-breaking 1.9 million US Dollars at an auction, making it the most valuable Harry Potter object ever sold at an auction house. Interestingly, at the time of the book's publication, Sotheby's book specialist Kalika Sands mentioned that Taylor was one of the first readers of the book and had "known the Harry Potter world before anyone else," giving him complete freedom in his imagination of the young wizard.
