07 Jun

Posted at 17:24h in Artist's Books

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
26 x 17cm, 16pp. Original card covers and printed dust jacket. Artist's book comprising 9 b/w drawings by Ron Costley - some are military vehicles or ships with classical allusions by Finlay added (many of which become sculptures and prints). Two show sundials (including Venus of the Hours which is a visual pun on female sexuality) which is another Finlay interest. Finlay often saw parallels between classical stories and modern war machines. Here, for instance, Earth/Air/Fire/Water/Time is a drawing of an aircraft carrier (which Finlay believed was symbolic of the four classical elements) moving across a sylised map which resembles a sun dial - thus bringing in the 5th aspect of reality - Time. One of 350 copies printed - this is an unsigned or numbered copy. Near fine.

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25 May

Posted at 16:17h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 19975
3 x4.5cm, copper and brass plated aluminium medallion with chain. With a design by Ron Costley (which originally was created for the exhibition Heroic Emblems) of a tank above which the title text - a reference to Zeus and his lightning bolts is set. The original quote comes from Heraclitus: "the Thunderbolt that steers the course of all things".
All of the Heroic Emblems showed modern machines (mostly of war) in reference to Classical myths. Originally boxed with leaflet but this example does not have those elements. Edition size not known but very hard to find.

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19 May

Posted at 19:56h in Object + Paper Multiples

Dunsyre: Little Sparta, 1987 15.3 x 15.3cm, hand-painted yellow on white ceramic tile displaying the title Concrete poem. One of a group of three such tiles each with the name of a boat alongside its official registration number (Buckie in the North East of Scotland). Often shown as part of a triptych consisting of Zephyr, Shepherd Lad and Amaryllis. This is a unique trial proof of the design where Finlay has the colours in red and yellow - he eventually rejected this combination in favour of a single colour for both words. VG+. ...

19 May

Posted at 16:17h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1975)
15.3 x 15.3cm., blue and green handpainted on white ceramic tile with the the name of a boat SHEPHERD LAD and its registered harbour - Inverness - and number. Often shown as part of a triptych consisting of Zephyr, Shepherd Lad and Amaryllis. One of only 100 made. VG+....

19 May

Posted at 14:32h in Object + Paper Multiples

Dunsyre: Little Sparta, 1987 15.3 x 15.3cm, hand-painted yellow on white ceramic tile displaying the title Concrete poem. One of a group of three such tiles each with the name of a boat alongside its official registration number (Buckie in the North East of Scotland). Often shown as part of a triptych consisting of Zephyr, Shepherd Lad and Amaryllis. One of only 100 made. VG+. ...

19 May

Posted at 09:50h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1975)
15.3 x 15.3cm., blue on white ceramic tile with the the name of a boat ZEPHYR and its registered harbour - Inverness - and number. FInlay has referred to the boat name before - it clearly has positive implications for sailors given a zephyr is regarded as a sort of bonus wind to speed up a journey. When one looks up the background of the boat one finds that it was "Built at Dunbar in 1969. (A) scalloper owned by John MacAlllister Ltd of Oban. Throughout his artistic endeavours Finlay always felt the need to return to the sea, - much like a scalloper. One of only 100 made. Scare. VG+ Murray has this as 7.51. .

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01 May

Posted at 09:21h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
15,5 x 17.6cm, 6pp folding card printed on one side only black on pink with a drawing of three partially blown dandelion seed heads by Laurie Clark. The French title means flower clock - and the partly distributed seeds on the heads of the drawing remind one of a coded time - - perhaps a quarter before four?

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30 Apr

Posted at 09:30h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
7.5 x 7.8cm, 4pp small folding card with a drawing of a church and a beached boat by Laurie Clark. The scene has several elements that are visually similar - the four leaf plants (clovers?), the propellor on the boat, and the church windows all have the same shape. The word "Eastertide" simply means Easter but it has additional meaning because the boat cannot move until the tide comes in. Additionally in the Biblical myth around Jesus, the role of fish and fishermen as metaphors are often central. One is forced to conclude this is a religious card - something that does not come up too often in Finlay's work. VG+.

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26 Apr

Posted at 22:10h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (c. 1975?)
12 x 24cm., brown on white ceramic tile. The well known song Oranges & Lemons is re-written to re-contextualise the nursery rhyme to a maritime alternative - each rhyme ends with a fishing port and that geographical distinction defines which boat is chosen to make the couplet. Date unknown but all other Finlay tiles were published in the mid 70s. This tile is not in Murray or any other catalogue raisonne. A rarity. VG+.

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25 Apr

Posted at 16:34h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 19975
3 x 4.5cm, copper and brass plated aluminium medallion with chain. With a design by Ron Costley (which originally was created for the exhibition Heroic Emblems) of a wartime light cruiser with smoking chimney sacks. The drawing is a representation of one of the poet's earlier one-word poems - namely:

KLEINER KREUZER SONATA

Emden

The reference here is a poetic equivalence of a "Kleiner Kreuzer" (a light cruiser) and the Kreu(t)xer Sonata by Beethoven. Both are suggested to be celebrated by mention of the German Warship Emden which was celebrated for its heroic exploits by its national populus (and, of course, Beethoven also was German).
All of the Heroic Emblems showed modern machines (mostly of war) in reference to Classical myths. With original box and 14.5 x 14.5cm, 1pp (folded twice) leaflet with a commentary by Stephen Bann. Edition size not known but very hard to find.

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25 Apr

Posted at 16:25h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 19975
3.5cm, dia. copper and brass plated aluminium medallion with chain. With a design by Ron Costley (which originally was created for the exhibition Heroic Emblems) of an aircraft carrier with a plane taking off from the deck. The original drawing relates to the USS Enterprise at the battle of Midway where the Japanese fleet was destroyed by the Americans. Finlay sees the aircraft carrier as typifying the classical elements of air, earth, sky, water and fire.
All of the Heroic Emblems showed modern machines (mostly of war) in reference to Classical myths. With original box and 14.5 x 14.5cm, 1pp (folded twice) leaflet with a commentary by Stephen Bann. Edition size not known but very hard to find.

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24 Apr

Posted at 21:51h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1975)
14.8 x 14.8cm., green on white ceramic tile with the names of five boat names (and their registered harbours). A fore-and-aft rig is a sailing vessel rigged mainly with sails set along the line of the keel. The names are all optimistic and the typography reflects the shape of the vessels. The title is alliterative around the letter F. One of only 100 made. Scare. VG+.

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