Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Damien Hirst Print Index
The Souls IV (Silver Gloss / Westminster Blue / Oriental Gold)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
The Souls IV (Silver Gloss / Westminster Blue / Oriental Gold) is a 2010 foil-block print measuring 71 x 50.8 cm, published by Paul Stolper Gallery. It belongs to a series of four butterfly compositions issued across eighty different colourways, each in an edition of just 15, making any single variant genuinely rare.
Collector notes: The saved release record describes: In total 'The Souls' is made up of 4 butterflies, in 80 different colourways, each one in an edition of 15. 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 metallic foil-block process gives these butterflies an iridescent, jewel-like intensity that ordinary ink cannot achieve. The Souls distills Hirst's central preoccupation, the tension between death and beauty, into a single symbolic insect rendered in shimmering foil, uniting subject and material in one of his most cohesive print statements.
Collector Perspective
With only 15 impressions of this specific silver, blue, and gold colourway, IV is among the scarcer configurations a collector can pursue. Foil surfaces are reflective and delicate, so condition and careful non-glare framing matter greatly. The named colourway is essential to identify precisely, as each of the eighty variants is distinct.
Historical Context
Paul Stolper Gallery has been a long-standing collaborator on Hirst's foil-block and print projects. The Souls extends Hirst's decades-long butterfly motif, first seen in his early installations, into the intimate scale of the edition print, translating his memento mori themes into a controlled palette of eighty metallic combinations.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2010
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Foil Block; catalog dimensions 71 x 50.8 cm; In total 'The Souls' is made up of 4 butterflies, in 80 different colourways, each one in an edition of 15.
- Edition details
- The saved release record describes: In total 'The Souls' is made up of 4 butterflies, in 80 different colourways, each one in an edition of 15.
- 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 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 2010 and attributes the edition to Paul Stolper Gallery.
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 Paul Stolper Gallery. 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.
FAQ
How many colourways of The Souls exist?
The complete Souls project comprises four butterfly compositions issued in eighty different colourways.
What is the edition size of this variant?
Each individual colourway was produced in an edition of only 15.
What is foil block printing?
It is a process that applies metallic foil to the paper, producing a reflective, iridescent surface far more luminous than standard printing inks.
Who published The Souls?
It was published by Paul Stolper Gallery, with the series associated with Other Criteria.
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