SCMP political cartoonist Harry Harrison’s new Year of the Horse collection to be auctioned

Bidding for the eight original watercolour and ink works inspired by the Year of the Horse begins on March 13; prices start at HK$2,026

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Leap of Faith, by South China Morning Post political cartoonist Harry Harrison, is one of eight illustrations inspired by the Year of the Horse that will be auctioned by the SCMP. Illustration: Harry Harrison

Published: 7:15am, 13 Mar 2026

Whether it is news “straight from the horse’s mouth”, the futility of “leading a horse to water” or the perils of “looking a gift horse in its mouth”, the English language is trotting with equine idioms.

For the South China Morning Post’s resident political cartoonist Harry Harrison, these well-worn phrases provide the perfect stable of inspiration for his latest collection of cheeky illustrations for the Year of the Horse.

This set of eight original watercolour and ink works will be up for auction, as per tradition, at The Store by the South China Morning Post. Available for bidding from 11am (Hong Kong time) on March 13 to 2pm on March 19, each illustration has a starting price of HK$2,026 (US$260).

This April marks a quarter-century milestone at the SCMP for the Britain-born cartoonist. For 25 years, the Harry’s View column has offered daily commentary on a vast spectrum of events, from Hong Kong’s capricious seat belt policies for buses to war in the Middle East.

The new collection’s first piece, titled Leap of Faith, features Choy Sun – the god of wealth – galloping on a horse with an uncertain expression. Despite his signature tongue-in-cheek tone, Harrison is less of a sceptic than one may assume.

“I think the point of a new year is to make it better than last year. I’m an optimist – I can be cynical, but generally, I think everything’s going to be all right,” he says. “But you have to try to make it all right. You can’t just rely on it being all right.”

SCMP Series

Year of the Horse 2026: predictions, facts, myths and feng shui

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SCMP political cartoonist Harry Harrison’s new Year of the Horse collection to be auctioned

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Bidding for the eight original watercolour and ink works inspired by the Year of the Horse begins on March 13; prices start at HK$2,026

Bidding for the eight original watercolour and ink works inspired by the Year of the Horse begins on March 13; prices start at HK$2,026