Portrait of the Artist and His Wife March 26th 1912, 27cm x 35cm, Hahnemuhle German Etching paper 310gsm. Spare was riding high at this time, with The Book of Pleasure just about to come out. He stares out at us, his with is depicted but just as a pencil line and looks down and away. Two sigils dominate. One the eye and lightning bolt device much used by Spare and may be considered his symbol:-

The other appears to be an eye-chalice and may be his wife's device:-

especially as they are connected with a "times by" mathematical symbol:-

Then there is the amorphous shape in black pigment:-

The appears to be automatic, but the method of creation is unclear. From about a decade or so later, such techniques would be much used by Surrealists. The prominence of the date and its incorporation into the title is suggestive that this picture was ritually created. £55