Harry Potter original artwork sells for $1.9m

An original watercolour painting has become the most valuable Harry Potter item ever sold, having gone under the hammer at an auction in the US.

The painting sold to the highest bidder for a staggering $1.9m, which was three times what experts had predicted it would fetch.

The artwork is famously from the front cover of the first edition of JK Rowling's hit fiction book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. 

In 2001 the piece was auctioned for $108,000, and had expected to sell for between $400,000 - $600,000 when it went under auction on Wednesday.

The hammer came down on the lot after almost ten minutes of bidding.

Artist Thomas Taylor, from Wales, was just 23 years old when he created the masterpiece, back in 1997. The iconic watercolour painting took just two days to finish.