Name: H9-3 Mercy
Brand: Damien Hirst
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Damien Hirst's H9-3 Mercy (signed) is estimated to be worth between £13,000 and £19,000. This Giclée print, created in 2021, has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 3%. This artwork has an auction history of 18 total sales since its entry to the market on 7th December 2021. In the last 12 months, the hammer price has ranged from £7,500 in December 2021 to £18,685 in October 2022. The average return to the seller over the past five years is £10,719, and the edition size of this artwork is limited to 817.

Meaning & Analysis

H9-3 Mercy is a beautiful laminated giclée print on aluminium composite panel by the renowned contemporary artist, Damien Hirst. In the print, Hirst depicts a radiant cherry blossom tree. More understated than the other prints in the series, pale pinks and whites dominate the composition. The flowers burst out from the tree yet are rendered with extreme delicacy and precision. Set against a pale blue backdrop, the print showcases the wonders of nature and the natural world.

H9-3 Mercy is part of the H9 The Virtues series, a collection of eight prints, each of which portrays the cherry blossom trees at the height of their flowering. Each print in the series is named after one of ‘The Eight Virtues of Bushidō’ according to Nitobe Inazō -Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, and Control.

The H9 The Virtues series is clearly influenced by artistic movements such as Impressionism and Pointillism and the impressive way the print captures the blossoms blends figuration and abstraction in a remarkable way, demonstrating Hirst’s creative talent as a painter. In fact, it is this mixture that draws Hirst to the cherry blossom as an artistic subject. The artist remarks: “What I loved about them (at first) was the way that they were kind of in between representational and abstract.”