Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Crucifix Grappling Hook (First Edition)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Crucifix Grappling Hook is a sculptural object, not a print: a weathered wooden crucifix bearing a cast figure of Christ, but with the four ends of the cross terminating in sharpened steel grappling-hook claws, a coil of rope knotted through the base. By fusing a Christian devotional object with the gear of a climber, raider, or fence-jumper, Banksy turns the cross into a literal tool of assault and escape, extending his long-running habit of weaponising sacred and everyday imagery.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 42. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
The piece compresses a great deal of Banksy's politics into one disquieting object. The crucifix, the West's central symbol of suffering, sacrifice and salvation, is re-engineered into a barbed climbing implement, the kind of thing used to scale a wall or board a vessel. It reads simultaneously as a comment on religion mobilised for conquest and violence, on faith as a means of breaching barriers, and on the desperation of those who climb walls and fences to survive. Made in 2017, the same period as the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, it sits squarely within Banksy's preoccupation with walls, borders and the militarisation of belief, delivering his characteristic dark humour through a single, instantly legible visual collision rather than a stencil.
Collector Perspective
This is one of Banksy's three-dimensional editioned objects rather than a paper print, produced in a tightly limited run of 42, which places it among his scarcer multiples. Sculptural Banksy editions of this kind tend to be desirable precisely because so few exist and because they photograph as singular, gallery-presence pieces. As a "First Edition" example, condition, completeness of the rope element, and accompanying documentation or certificate matter heavily to value. Buyers should expect strong demand relative to the small supply, but verify authenticity rigorously before committing.
Historical Context
Crucifix Grappling Hook dates to 2017, the Contemporary era and a pointed moment in Banksy's career. That year he opened the Walled Off Hotel beside the Israeli West Bank separation barrier in Bethlehem, a project saturated with imagery of walls, borders, religion and occupation. Against that backdrop, an object that turns the cross of Christian devotion into a grappling hook, gear for scaling or breaching a wall, reads as a direct continuation of his anti-war and anti-establishment concerns: faith and conflict literally welded together, and the line between salvation and assault deliberately blurred.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2017
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Medium and materials were not documented in the saved record.
- Edition details
- Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 42.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Banksy's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: Crucifix Grappling Hook dates to 2017, the Contemporary era and a pointed moment in Banksy's career. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2017.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to the release source named in the saved record. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Banksy — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Banksy (Q133600) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
What does Crucifix Grappling Hook depict?
A weathered wooden crucifix with a cast figure of Christ, but the four ends of the cross terminate in sharpened steel grappling-hook claws, with a coil of knotted rope attached at the base. It fuses a religious icon with a climbing or boarding tool.
Is this a print or a sculpture?
It is a three-dimensional editioned object (a sculptural multiple), not a paper print. The listed medium is unspecified, but the work combines wood, a cast figure and steel hook elements with rope.
How many were made?
The edition size is 42, making it one of Banksy's scarcer editioned objects.
Is it signed?
The title designates this as a First Edition; signature status is not specified here.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humour and anti-war, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment messages, as well as stunts like the self-shredding Girl with Balloon and the Walled Off Hotel.
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