Harry Potter - Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus by Mark Davies

Available as a fantastic Limited Edition Print.

All Artwork is signed by the artist and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.  

MARK SAYS: 

A surprise addition to accompany ‘Expecto Patronum’ for my February 2026 release and it’s another spellbinding Harry Potter inspired image to add to my existing portfolio. 

In 2017 and as part of my ‘Spellbound’ collection, I created a striking interpretation of the unbelievably popular beast that is Harry Potter entitled ‘Draco Dormiens’ a shortened version of the Hogwarts motto ‘Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus’ (Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon). My aim for that piece was to focus on a dominant icon from the narrative and put my twist to it, rather than trying to inject a deeper, more surreal narrative that could possibly be missed or offend the die-hard lovers of the franchise!

The imposing Hogwarts Castle and the magic that is contained within its stone walls offered the perfect opportunity to create something immensely striking. The building is incredible, monumental in fact, and by changing the perspective of the scene it amplified this to a great effect. and through building snowcapped mountains into the background, it positions the castle much higher than it possibly could be and further adds to the majestic qualities of the setting and remoteness of the castle. I was aware of the enormity of the following that Harry Potter has and the protectiveness of that, so I was blown away with the reaction to the piece back then. I still remember the launch show when the original was unveiled from beneath a white sheet. Instantly a collector hurled their credit card towards the canvas, marking it as sold! A moment that caught me and everyone in the gallery by surprise, but one that I hold fondly.

There is so much potential to explore (but not exploit) the wonders of Hogwarts, and I have another piece simmering in my mind after creating this latest version, that really will be something! However, for now I wanted to simply revisit the original image and introduce a different look and feel to it, giving it more drama and intrigue. The first image was raw and cold, gritty and with a strong contrast across a largely monotone palette, it just worked so well! I had previously created a commissioned piece that set the castle at night, and I loved the effect of that. Parts of that scene I intend to amplify in a future iteration, but it was the nighttime sky that I have always since felt could be expanded upon, so I have done exactly that here.

This piece has a really strong contrast between darkness and light; a dramatic moonlit sky sets the backdrop for the vivid magic to play out and fight the evil that finds cover in the darkness to creep up on the castle and those who reside within. When you revisit a previous piece with a new agenda, it allows you to calmly review the details from before and set about focusing on the tiniest of details such as contrasting colours and textures that many may miss but they end up combining to play a significant part in creating a special image.

Once completed, it just needed a title. I never like to simply pluck one for the sake of it from iconic quotes and I did initially get stumped with what to go for until it clicked. This piece is an expansion of the original, so I have done the same with the title -‘Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus’. I hope you love what I have done with this new iteration, the colours really give it a special quality that looks amazing in both canvas or paper formats, and if you plump for a hand embellished option that so many of you do, it makes the image even more magical!