Sunday 14 December 2014

Madonna and Child

Madonna holding book and child

Although this card from the Netherlands did have art stamps on it, I had to go to France to find the first Madonna and Child stamp.


It commemorates the 500 years since Rafael painted it in 1512/13. The original hangs in the museum in Dresden.

The Royal Mail quite frequently uses art on stamps, particularly around Christmas time.  I have a set of PHQ (postal headquarters) stamp cards from 1991 which are taken from a 14th century manuscript kept in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.



These are just two of the set.  I love the colour and form, but if you look closely at the faces, they do look a little odd though possibly more "real". I prefer them to some more recent versions.

As I said, the original postcard did have art stamps on it too, commemorating Rembrandt
:

And another by Vermeer, that almost everyone will recognise thanks to the recent film, Girl with a Pearl Earring.



This is a post for Sunday Stamps, now hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

6 comments:

  1. I hadn't seen the two Christmas stamps before. Not keen on them - have the people been imbibing too much Christmas cheer?

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  2. I hadn't seen those Christmas stamps either. I like the Vermeer stamp very much.

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  3. The medieval stamps I actually find interesting - they embody their time don't they? And the raphael Madonna has such a calm and beautiful face. thank you for participating all these weeks!

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  4. Very coincidental: Rembrandt and the girl with a pearl! I like your choice. The medieval stamps are stunning.

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  5. The U.S has had a lot of Madonna and Child Christmas stamps.

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  6. I like the illuminated manuscript ones, I'd like them to issue some more.

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