Third Anniversary of the First Battle of Little Sparta February 4, 1983: "All wars grow mossy"
ArtistDesigned/Sent by
Ian Hamilton Finlay
(Nassau, Bahamas, 1925 - 2006)
RecipientReceived by
Joyce Laing
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1939 - 2022)
PrinterPrinted by
Wild Hawthorn Press
(founded 1961)
Date1986
Object NameCard
Mediumcard, ink
ClassificationsPrints
DimensionsPaper Size: 11.4 x 17.7cm
AcquisitionPresented in 2010 by Joyce Laing OBE.
Copyright© Estate of Ian Hamilton Finlay (2009)
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG017498
About MeCard commemorating the third anniversary of the first battle of Little Sparta, which took place on 4 February 1983. It is printed with a quoted epigraph ("All wars grow mossy") and a sketch of a tap and barrel amongst long grass and moss. The card is cream and the printing ink is green. It was issued by the Committee of Public Safety, Little Sparta, Dunsyre, Lanark, Scotland. The slogan "February 4 Day of the Flute" is stamped on the back in black ink. It is addressed to Joyce Laing and postmarked 4 Feb 1986.This work is part of an archive that belonged to Joyce Laing, OBE. The artist, Ian Hamilton Finlay, was a personal friend and sent her an example of each new poem print and multiple as it was made.
