Damien Hirst The Souls on Jacob's Ladder For Sale

The Souls on Jacob's Ladder by Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst's Transcendent Exploration of Mortality and Ascension

The print market for established Young British Artists demonstrated renewed institutional confidence in 2025, with Art Basel & UBS reporting the global art market's return to growth following a period of recalibration. Within this recovering landscape, Damien Hirst's meditative print editions have emerged as compelling entry points for collectors seeking authenticated works by the movement's most commercially significant figure. Guy Hepner, New York, draws upon $4,226,125 in documented Damien Hirst transactions to offer authoritative guidance on acquiring works from The Souls on Jacob's Ladder, a series that bridges Hirst's conceptual preoccupations with the contemplative traditions of printmaking.

Hirst's auction performance established benchmarks that continue to define contemporary art market expectations. The historic "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" single-artist sale at Sotheby's in September 2008 achieved $198 million in total sales, an unprecedented event that demonstrated Hirst's capacity to command institutional-level prices across diverse media. Earlier, Lullaby Spring realized $19.2 million at Sotheby's in 2007, the same year Hirst conceived The Souls on Jacob's Ladder series. These auction milestones, verified through major house records at Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, and Bonhams, contextualize the print editions as accessible extensions of Hirst's market-tested conceptual vocabulary.

Series Context and Conceptual Framework

The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight represents Hirst's sustained meditation on mortality, transformation, and spiritual transcendence—themes that have defined his practice since the iconic butterfly paintings and vitrine works of the 1990s. The series title references Genesis 28:12, in which Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching toward heaven with angels ascending and descending. Hirst transposes this biblical imagery onto the butterfly, his enduring symbol of the soul's fragility and its capacity for metamorphosis.

Conceived in 2007 and developed through subsequent editions including the 2016 photogravure etchings, the series demonstrates Hirst's commitment to printmaking as a medium capable of conveying conceptual weight while achieving technical refinement. Unlike the shock aesthetics associated with his formaldehyde sculptures, these works reveal a contemplative dimension to Hirst's practice, one that rewards sustained attention and speaks to universal concerns about mortality and transcendence.

The butterfly motif functions as both literal specimen and metaphysical symbol. Hirst's lepidopteran subjects—rendered in chromatic variations from vivid red and green to subtle yellow and black—capture the tension between scientific classification and spiritual significance that animates his broader artistic project. Authentication through Science Ltd, Hirst's studio and authentication body, ensures provenance integrity for all works, while representation by White Cube confirms ongoing primary market support.

Technical Specifications and Printmaking Excellence

The Souls on Jacob's Ladder editions showcase Hirst's sophisticated engagement with traditional printmaking techniques elevated through contemporary precision. The hand-inked photogravure process employed across the series represents one of printmaking's most demanding methodologies, requiring meticulous plate preparation and individual attention to each impression.

Works including The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight (Large Red / Green Butterfly) and the accompanying Small Yellow / Black Butterfly iteration demonstrate Hirst's chromatic range within the series. Both editions utilize 400 gsm Velin d'Arches paper, a heavyweight French mould-made stock favored by master printmakers for its superior ink absorption, archival permanence, and tactile presence. The substantial paper weight contributes to each work's physical authority while ensuring long-term conservation stability.

The photogravure etching technique produces tonal gradations unachievable through lithographic or screenprint methods, lending the butterfly subjects a luminosity that references both scientific illustration traditions and devotional imagery. UP from The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight, executed as a photogravure etching in editions spanning 2007 and 2016, exemplifies the technical consistency maintained across the series' extended production timeline.

Artist proofs, including The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight (AP) from 2007 rendered as a traditional etching, occupy a distinct position within the edition structure. These impressions, produced outside the numbered edition for the artist's personal archive, typically command premium positioning given their rarity and direct association with the artist's own collection practices.

Notable Works and Edition Structure

The series encompasses multiple formats and color variations, each authenticated through Science Ltd documentation:

UP from The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight (2007/2016) demonstrates the edition's longevity, with photogravure etchings produced across nearly a decade while maintaining technical standards. This extended timeline reflects collector demand and Hirst's confidence in the series' conceptual resonance.

The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight (Large Red / Green Butterfly) presents the lepidopteran subject in dramatic chromatic contrast, with the red-green opposition creating visual tension that reinforces the work's symbolic content regarding life, death, and transformation.

The Souls on Jacob's Ladder Take Their Flight (Small Yellow / Black Butterfly) offers a more subdued palette, with the yellow-black combination evoking both natural butterfly coloration and traditional memento mori associations.

Investment Considerations

The Art Basel & UBS Global Art Market Report documented a $57.5 billion global market in 2024, with the 2026 report confirming return to growth in 2025. Within this context, authenticated Hirst print editions offer collectors verified exposure to a market-tested artist through works at accessible price points relative to his sculptural output.

Print market fundamentals favor established artists with robust authentication infrastructure. Science Ltd's documentation protocols ensure chain-of-custody verification, while White Cube's ongoing representation maintains primary market visibility. These institutional frameworks provide collectors with confidence structures essential for long-term value preservation.

Acquisition Through Guy Hepner

Guy Hepner, New York, maintains inventory of The Souls on Jacob's Ladder editions with complete Science Ltd documentation. Our $4,226,125 in Damien Hirst transactions reflects sustained engagement with this artist's market across multiple series and price points. Contact our specialists to discuss available works, condition reports, and acquisition strategies aligned with your collection objectives.