The present work is the third and final etching on which Francis Bacon worked personally. He later worked with a master printer who would print the works overseen by artist's careful supervision. Here a man is seen grasping the tap of a washbasin with both hands, as if seeking solace there. The force between the figure and the foot of the washbasin creates tension. It is as if both exert force and thus keep each other in balance. The arena or ring, which Bacon used in many works as the architecture of the picture, reinforces the feeling that this is a trial of strength.

The image is derived from a traumatic scene Bacon witnessed on the eve of the opening of his retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris, 1971. His paramour of the time, George Dyer, was found dead having taken his own life in the bathroom of his hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Bacon had frequently painted Dyer, whom was a great muse and inspiration to the artist. They met in 1963 under extraordinary circumstances, when Dyer attempted to break into his studio.