Which signature or marks are documented?

The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. 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.

Is original packaging or presentation documented?

Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.

How certain are the release details?

The year, edition, dimensions, and medium come from a saved secondary catalog record. Artist-level context is added from general references, but not every release-level field is independently confirmed.

Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Damien Hirst Print Index

Sanctum - Spire

Damien Hirst · 2009 · Etching

Year2009

MediumEtching

EditionFirst Edition

Edition size59

Retail (MSRP)Unknown

PublisherParagon Press

EraAnatomy & Science

Collector7/10

Visual7/10

Historical6/10

ScarcityScarce

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Spire is a 2009 etching from Hirst's six-plate Sanctum suite, published by Paragon Press in an edition of 59. As with its companion prints, the title evokes ecclesiastical architecture, translating Hirst's ongoing preoccupation with structure, ascension and the sacred into the precise, tactile idiom of the etched plate.

Collector notes: The saved release record describes: Edition of 59. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.

Why It Matters

Spire belongs to a body of work where Hirst set aside spectacle for the rigor of intaglio. The modest edition of 59 makes each impression comparatively scarce, and the suite as a whole documents the artist's serious, sustained engagement with traditional printmaking craft.

Collector Perspective

Every sheet is signed by the artist and numbered on the reverse. Buyers should verify the reverse numbering and, where possible, the relationship to the full six-plate Sanctum set, since completeness of the suite meaningfully shapes how collectors regard individual plates like Spire.

Historical Context

Produced at the height of Hirst's international prominence, the Sanctum etchings show a more meditative side of a practice usually defined by scale and shock. The sacred-architecture titles connect the suite to the mortality and transcendence themes that define much of his output.

Documented Release Details

Object type: Editioned print or object
Release date: 2009
Release-date note: Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
Medium and materials: Etching.
Edition details: The saved release record describes: Edition of 59.
Signature and marks: The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.

Documented History and Meaning

History note: This page treats Damien Hirst'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: No per-work artist statement is recorded for this edition. Any thematic reading should be treated as interpretation of the imagery, not a documented statement of the artist's intent. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.

Release context: The saved catalog lists 2009 and attributes the edition to Paragon Press.

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 Paragon Press. 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

Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
Damien Hirst — official site — Damien Hirst studio (Science Ltd.) · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
Damien Hirst — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
Damien Hirst (Q294326) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.