Study for the phoenix by Jim Kay, for The Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter first met Fawkes the Phoenix in Dumbledore’s office in his second year. Jim Kay’s painting of the bird captures the brilliant colours of the phoenix’s feathers; the image seems to soar across the surface of the page. Kay has also painted details of the egg and the eye, which were used in the final composite illustration. His study of the single phoenix feather shows how the different colours blend, in a similar way to those of less exotic birds such as the mallard.