Unique proof from the series of unique colour variants, signed and annotated ‘U.P.’ in pencil on the front and numbered on the reverse with a Damien Hirst archive number. The related six-print Sanctum portfolio was issued in editions of 59.

Created in 2009, Sanctum (Unique) belongs to Damien Hirst’s sustained exploration of butterflies as symbols of beauty, mortality and transformation. Executed as a unique photogravure etching in colours on Arches paper, the work was published by The Paragon Press, London. Its distinctive colour arrangement separates it from the standard Sanctum portfolio, which comprises six compositions entitled Altar, Belfry, Chancel, Dome, Minaret and Spire.

Butterflies of different species and colours are arranged in concentric circles against a vivid red ground. Their wings form a complex radial pattern around a single central specimen, producing a symmetrical composition that recalls a mandala, rose window or other form of sacred ornament. The precision of the arrangement contrasts with the natural variation of the individual insects, while the saturated colour gives the composition an intense, almost luminous presence.

Hirst first incorporated butterflies into his work during the early 1990s and has repeatedly employed them to examine the uncertain boundary between life and death. Their visual delicacy and associations with metamorphosis suggest vitality and renewal, yet their use as preserved specimens also makes mortality physically present. In Sanctum, this duality is reinforced by the formal ordering of the butterflies, which places organic material within a carefully regulated geometric system.

The title, derived from the Latin word for a holy or protected place, introduces associations of sanctuary, ritual and transcendence. The circular configuration evokes the visual language of religious architecture while remaining rooted in the methods of scientific collection and classification. As a unique colour variant within an editioned project, the work also brings together individuality and repetition, extending Hirst’s examination of faith, mortality and systems of value.

A detailed condition report is available upon request.