This drawing relates to a bronze sculpture of the same name, which is also in the collection of the Gallery of Modern Art. One of the main differences between the drawing and the sculpture is the aggressive presence of the splintered stake which pins the woman’s body to the ground. As in the sculpture, a nick is clearly visible in the windpipe of the figure as it gasps for breath, horribly contorted. Despite the gruesome tone of the drawing, it was first reproduced in the middle of an article about music in the Surrealist periodical ‘Minotaure’. The drawing was previously owned by both Edward James and Gabrielle Keiller, two important patrons of Surrealism.