Saint Glinglin: précédé d'une nouvelle version de Gueule de Pierre et des Temps mêlés: Roman (Saint Glinglin: Preceded by a New Version of Stone Mouth and Mingled Time)
<p>Raymond Queneau’s novel <em>Saint Glinglin</em> is a composite work of seven sections. The title refers to a common French phrase “à la Saint Glinglin,” or “on Saint Glinglin’s Day,” a fictional holiday. Reminiscent of the adage “when pigs fly,” the phrase is meant to denote a distant, unachievable future. Queneau drew upon this fantastical folklore and created a world with its own made-up logic that keeps the reader amused and alert. A few examples of Queneau’s whimsical plot include the existence of an actual Saint Glinglin’s day, strict delineations of when and how rain falls, and the divinity of fish.</p> <p>Mary Reynolds’s book binding draws from Queneau’s playful story. Encircling a green leather cover is a goatskin band printed with the book’s title and author, as well as a shard of a smashed porcelain teacup bound to the spine. The teacup fragment refers to a scene in Queneau’s story in which the mayor of the town holds a ritual that involves smashing earthenware.</p> <p>Endpapers of a hypnotic and colorful design act as an elegant punctuation to the binding, and bring together Reynolds’s craftsmanship with Queneau’s experimental prose.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1949
- Dimensions
- 20 × 15 × 3 cm (7 7/8 × 5 15/16 × 1 3/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
Artist
Textile
Mary Reynolds was an American artist and bookbinder active in Paris during the mid-twentieth century. Working primarily in hand-bound volumes and paper arts, she developed a distinctive practice that merged fine art with the craft tradition of bookbinding. Her work bridged Surrealist circles and the material culture of the book object itself. This profile will be expanded as more verified source material becomes available.
Full artist profile →More
More by Mary Reynolds
Exercices de style
1947 · Quarter black calfskin binding with marbled paper; calfskin label on cover with title stamped in gold; author stamped in gold on spine; top edge colored; marbled endpapers; original paper covers bound in
Le Diable au corps: Roman
1947 · Chêneuarter vellum binding with green paper; morocco spine label with author and title stamped in gold; decorated endpapers; original paper covers bound in
Le Foyer des artistes
1947 · One-quarter vellum binding, sides covered with red paper speckled with gold stars; original paper covers bound in
Le surmâle: Roman moderne (Superman: A Modern Novel)
1945 · Full black morocco binding with onlay; metal corset stay attached to spine; title stamped in gold on spine; mauve endpapers printed with wire-mesh pattern; original paper covers bound in
Ubu cocu, restitué en son intégrité tel qu'il a été représenté par les marionnettes du Théâtre des Phynances (Ubu Cocu: Restored to Its integrity as It was Presented by the Puppets of the Théâtre des Phynances)
1944 · Fill tan calfskin with leather-covered cutouts; goatskin onlays spelling Ubu and Cocu; gold stamping; gold speckled, yellow endpapers
Loin de Rueil (Skin of Dreams)
1944 · Full red morocco binding with raised bands; author and title stamped in gold on spine; endpapers of trial proofs for Marcel Duchamp's 1935 cover of Minotaure; original paper covers bound in
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
- Year
- 1949
- Dimensions
- 20 × 15 × 3 cm (7 7/8 × 5 15/16 × 1 3/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1949-047790
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified