IAN HAMILTON FINLAY

OBJECT + PAPER MULTIPLES

ARCADIAN GLIDERS. 1981.

London: White Lies Publications, 1981
21 x 15 x 1cm, two part printed green box content of a bag of elastic bands, nine silkscreen prints of different Arcadian glider kits (each 21 x 15cm, 1pp) and an instruction booklet.
"Each airplane is embellished with a military decal and the name of an appropriate common garden feature has been printed on the rear wing. When the airplanes have been constructed, they may either be displayed together as a squadron or, if you have access to a garden, they should be carefully placed in the relevant spot to act as markers or name tags and a pleasing focus of interest for when the flowers are out of season." (I
An unusual garden multiple published by Steve Wheatley's small press. VG+ in like box.

Steve WHEATLEY

KINDOM OF FINE/ARCADIA/STRATHCLYDE REGION. FULL SHEET OF CINDERELLA STAMPS. 1982

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1982
14 x 14.5cm, full sheet with retained margins of three cinderella stamps - the first is KINGDOM OF FIFE - a 1p stamp with an image of four boats on it. The second is ARCADIA which is a 14p "stamp" with a drawing of peas open in a pod and the final stamp is an image of Joseph Stalin with the words STRATHCLYDE REGION above and below and is a 15p stamp. Unused and in near mint condition.

LET US INVITE NATURE AND ALL THE VIRTUES TO OUR FESTIVALS. RED VARIANT.

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. 14.8 x 14.8cm, red on white unused jam pot label from the edition of 15 small jars. The text is a quote from Saint-Just relating to the large scale festivals to celebrate the Cult of the Supreme Being during the Terror of the French Revolution. There were two variant printings of this item - one with a blue colour, and the other red. This is the latter. Fine condition. Not in Murray.

LET US INVITE NATURE AND ALL THE VIRTUES TO OUR FESTIVALS. BLUE VARIANT.

THE STRATHCLYDE TIMES. FRIDAY JUNE 17 1983.

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press (?), Friday 17 June 1983
21 x 30cm, 2pp black on off-white newsprint. A parody newspaper with humorous articles about the dispute between Strathclyde Region and Ian Hamilton Finlay over rates for the Garden temple at Little Sparta. Spurious claims of Little Sparta having a "secret weapon: the "Tucker Gun" based on a 19060s abstract sculpture by WIlliam Tucker. The act of postering the Scottish Arts Council building is also reported on with an image of one of the posters gummed onto the columns outside the building. US troops are also reported to have landed in the Pentland Hills and are "preparatory to advancing into Strathclyde Region" and "taking over key points such as.... Strathclyde Region's HQ." Unusual for Finlay the attacks here are reasonably soft and amusing. A extremelyhard to find document from the Little Sparta War.

WILDFLOWER. VASE. 1986.

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1986
14 x 7 x 7cm, ceramic glazed vase in the shape of a classical column and a definition of the word WILDFLOWER in red and blue - "A MEAN TERM BETWEEN REVOLUTION AND VIRTUE." A wildflower is untamed and uncontrolled even when beautiful - here Finlay's definition places the idea of such a person as being "between revolution and virtue" which i the actual French uprising was not seen as incompatible. The word "mean" also is allowed two meanings - "an average" and "an unpleasant'. Together this work invites the viewer to consider the role of the individual within collective action and collective morality.
Sadly this vase was damaged by a member of the public when Paul Robertson's collection was exhibited in Summerhall, Edinburgh - there is a clean break all around the top of the cubic base - and the red and blue glazing is not as strong as it should have been. Finlay gave this vase to Herbert Winter the well-known gallerist in Wein from whence Robertson purchased it. Limitation of the edition is not known but probably not too many.

EIGHT STICKERS FOR SAINT-JUST VIGILANTES. 1989.

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1989
12 x 24cm, unprinted white envelope with sticker closure content of eight different adhesive stickers - sizes vary due to poor cutting post printing but all are c. 14 x 11.5cm, printed red and black. The stickers are all inspired by sayings or events of the French revolution around the year 1793. These were distributed as campaign materials for use by supporters of Finlay during his disputes with Strathclyde regional Council over the rating of Finlay's Garden Temple (which they claimed was an art gallery whereas Finlay stated it was a religious building". All unused, The sealed envelope has been opened using scissors and not too neatly. Not found in Murray.

BOOKMARKS. 1989. INCLUDES REPRINTS OF TREE (ARBRE) LEAF BARK.

Edinburgh: Morning Star Publications, n.d. (1989)
A selection of seven different "bookmarks" by Lorine Niedecker, Thomas A. Clark, Basho (translated by Cid Corman), Cid Corman and four by Ian Hamilton Finlay. Two of the bookmars are reprints of earlier cards - Tree (Arbre) and Leaf bark - which are described elsewhere in this catalogue to which two additional cards are added both lists of "definitions" for words beginning with A: Affluence, Allotment, Angel, Apollo, Arcadia, Arrow and a relevant quote.
The edition size is not known. Morning Star Publications was the press set up by Finlay's son Eck (later Alex Finlay). While individually we have catalogued the earlier items as artist's postcards - here as a group we are identifying this as a paper multiple. All VG+.

TWINE IS JACOBIN/STRING IS GIRONDIST. 1990.

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorne Press, 1990
30.4 x 12.5cm, two printed card labels with string and twine respectively in envelope.
The more extreme Jacobin grouping within the French revolution are compared with the Girondists (who were also committed revolutionaries but who were ousted in the insurrection of 31 May – 2 June 1793 as being insufficiently committed to rooting out perceived traitors to the cause). The latter insurrection of the more extreme of the Sans Culottes led to the Reign of Terror. Twine is much rougher than string - and the metaphor is that of the less cultured people of Paris being less sophisticated and less willing to accept compromises. Only 100 copies of this simple but striking object multiple were made. VG in like envelope.

TOM, DICK AND HARRY. EMBROIDERED NAME TAG.

Edinburgh: Morning Star Press, n.d.
4 x 0.5cm, machine embroidered name patch issued as part of a book publication by the Press – here separately mounted by stitching onto a 5.4 x 18.7cm unprinted card. The red thread has three names of boats "Tom", "Dick" and "Harry" but together reminds one of the cliche. VG+ condition.

LES PETITES NATIVITES. 1990.

London: Victoria Miro, 1990
21 x 20cm, 1pp black and red on cream card. A "cut-out' which would allow the owner to make a small cardboard manger (with the cut away pieces of card used to create "hay" by shredding. The instruction is "to be viewed through the window at Victoria Miro Gallery, 21 Cork Street, London W1, from 23 December to 6 January, '91". A Christmas card of sorts. With original crepe paper "wrap around". VG+.

EVENING WILL COME THEY WILL SEW THE BLUE SAIL. 1991. ENAMEL BADGE.

Edinburgh: Graeme Muray Gallery, 1991
5 x 1m, printed enamel lapel badge with metal safety pin clasp. The text is from one of Finlay's most famous works - EVENING WILL COME THEY WILL SEW THE BLUE SAIL - which was firstly created as a wooden sculpture in Finlay's garden and later was printed in two editions as prints. For a lengthy commentary on that work see the separate listing in this collection under Prints + Posters. Limitation unknown. VG+ example.