Original Harry Potter cover art heads to New York's auction block

Thomas Taylor was working at a children's bookstore in Cambridge, England, when he was tapped by publisher Bloomsbury to paint the image for J.K. Rowling's book, released in June, 1997. Photo: Sotheby's

The original watercolour illustration for the first edition of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone – the book that introduced the world to the young bespectacled wizard – will go up for auction in New York on Wednesday.

The work by Thomas Taylor, who was just 23 years old in 1997 when he painted the iconic image of the young boy with the lightning bolt scar and the round glasses, is expected to fetch from US$400,000 (RM1.9mil) to US$600,000 (RM2.8mil) at Sotheby's.