Sundial
Artist
Ian Hamilton Finlay
(Nassau, Bahamas, 1925 - 2006)
AssociatedAssociated with
Joyce Laing
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1939 - 2022)
Date1970s
Object NameSundial
Mediumwood, nylon cord and lead
ClassificationsInstallations
Dimensions79.7 x 95cm
AcquisitionPresented in 2012 by Joyce Laing OBE.
Copyright© Estate of Ian Hamilton Finlay (2009)
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG017722
About MeIan Hamilton Finlay installed this wooden sundial in the newly created garden at Little Sparta in the 1970s. He became concerned about its longevity and decided to replace it with a version in stone. This prototype was given to Joyce Laing, as it featured a Pittenweem fishing boat, 'The True Vine' . (ML was the registration used for East neuk boats until the 1950s.) The sundial is made to fit a pond the width of a half whisky barrel. In the 1980s, it was installed in Joyce Laing's garden at Pittenweem.
More About Me
"I came to these mediums through having a garden, and of course, people who have designed gardens have always worked in collaboration, and never made their own inscriptions" Ian Hamilton Finlay
