I Muse...On Another Engraver to Study

I'm fairly certain that I'm not alone in thinking that over the years the French Post has had many, many incredibly talented artists on their payroll engraving stamps. So many in fact that it can be rather overwhelming trying to collect all of their amazing work. My strategy to date has been to choose a particular engraver, and then spent some time getting to know their work and their style. And along the way start putting together the bones of a collection.

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Most recently I've become intrigued by the work of Jules Piel. I haven't looked at much of his work yet, but what I have seen really impresses me. His first engraving, which was part of a definitive set for Andorra in 1932 is a true thing of beauty. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the design, which was printed in six values, just yet. But I did find the below image. 

Between 1932 and 1966 Jules Piel was a prolific engraver for both France and her various colonies. For a full bio, check out this blog post HERE. Indeed, many iconic French stamps were the work of this master engraver. Perhaps the most important of these was a set depicting Marshall Pétain, issued in 1941. 

Commencing in 1950, France began issuing a set of stamps on an annual basis with a surcharge to go to the Red Cross. Jules Piel engraved this first set of Red Cross stamps. In fact, he contributed to every set until his retirement from the French postal authority in 1966. And I was delighted to discover that not only did Jules Piel rack up an extensive array of stamps, but he also engraved quite a few banknotes! I must say, I'm really looking forward to delving more deeply into the work of this prolific artist.

Until next time...

I Study... Aspects of an Airmail Design

Sometimes it is difficult admire the beauty of a lone tree amid a vast forest. This can also be the case when viewing a beautifully engraved stamp vignette with an elaborate border. It is true, of course, that the border should compliment the vignette, but I find it a bit of fun and quite interesting to separate the relative parts. I do this with the use of basic editing software. There are loads of editing software packages out there, and different people have their own preferences. I personally use Paint.net.  But enough of that. On with the show, as it were!

A great specimen to use for an exercise such as this is the France 1950 1,000f airmail stamp. Not only does it have a stunning vignette and lovely decorative border, each aspect of the design had a different engraver. This enables us to single out the vision of each engraver. It is true that I have already written a blog studying this stamp and the other stamps in this series - click HERE. But by employing the method mentioned above, hopefully we will see this stamp in a whole different light. And if not, it was a bit of fun.

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First, let's take a look at the entire stamp.

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Now let's manipulate the image a bit so we can focus solely on the vignette (central grey portion). This part of the stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

There is instantly a different feel to the image. A smoky, dark presence yet an alluring quality that beckons us down into the design. To roam the narrow streets of Île de la Cité. To traverse the gorgeous, uniquely-styled bridges. To explore the stunning Cathedral of Notre Dame. Vraiment superbe!

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It was actually only recently that I realised that the border of this stamp was not designed and engraved by Decaris. This magnificent border was entrusted to Jacques Combet. Let's take a look at it with the vignette removed.

The fine details sculpted into this border are quite amazing!  The feathered wings down each side of the border. The intricate scrollwork. I particularly like the sailing vessels to be found at each corner! This border is a stunning piece of art in and of itself.

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Incidentally, this was not the only time these two engravers collaborated. In 1956 their talents were again combined to produce the 500f airmail stamp for St. Pierre et Miquelon, depicting a Douglas DC-3 over St Pierre Port. 

I believe Decaris was responsible for most of the work in this stamp and Combet engraved the lettering. Many thanks to Adrian at Stamp Engravers for his blog on this issue. To take a look at his blog post click HERE. It's well worth the read.

Anywho, enough from me for now. I hope you enjoyed this little exercise! What's the point of computers and all this fangled software if we can't play around with it from time to time?

Until next time...

France 1950 - Francois Rabelais

A physician. A scholarly monk. A fantasy writer. A bawdy song and joke composer. These couldn't possibly be the talents of just one man...right? Well, if your answer is yes, then you haven't heard of the colourful French Renaissance humanist, Francois Rabelais. And if the above list wasn't impressive enough, Rabelais was considered such a powerful writer that the word "Rabelaisian" has been coined to describe writing "marked by gross robust humour, extravagance of caricature, or bold naturalism" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

It somehow seems fitting that such an interesting character have enigmatic origins. There is some dispute over exactly when Francois Rabelais was born. Some say he was born as early as 1483, but the most likely time of his birth was in November 1494. The place of his birth is also uncertain, but he was probably born near Chinon in the Touraine where his father, a lawyer, worked.

Rabelais' education began when he entered the Franciscan Order of monks. There he studied Greek and Latin as well as science, philology, and law. He eventually left monastic life to study medicine at the University of Poitiers and at the University of Montpellier. In 1532 he moved to Lyon to practice medicine. Here, he also edited Latin texts. In his spare time he wrote and published humorous pamphlets. Using the pseudonym Alcofribas Nasier - an anagram of his name - he wrote Pantagruel. This book was to become the first of his Gargantua series, for which he became famous.

I'll end this brief description of the life of Francois Rabelais with the now famous words that he penned in his will: "I have nothing, I owe a great deal, and the rest I leave to the poor". He died in April 1553. 

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On 26 June 1950, France issued a stamp in honour of the remarkable Francois Rabelais. The stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

Decaris has done a fantastic job capturing the humorous nature of Rabelais. Just look at that cheeky grin and the penetrating gaze. We just know he is formulating some witty yarn to dazzle his readers.

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

France 1950 - Stamp Day

In 1935 at the meeting of the International Federation of Philately (FIP) in Brussels it was proposed that a Stamp Day be created. The idea being that each country that was a member of the FIP issue their own unique stamp on a certain day of the year. The project was approved, but it wasn't until 1944 that the first stamps for Stamp Day were issued.

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In 1950, Albert Decaris designed and engraved France's Stamp Day issue. The stamp was released for sale on 11 March. The face value was 12f with a 3f surcharge that went to the French Red Cross.

If this stamp doesn't make one wish to be a postman, I don't think anything will. Decaris has engraved this postman, in my eyes at least, as some kind of superhero. The flowing cape and the powerful stride combine to suggest this postman is eating up the miles on a quest to deliver his mail in record time. I rather like this design. It is whimsical, bright, and contains a sense of adventure. Now, how does one become a postman?!

Until next time...

France 1949 - Aerial Views of France Airmails

Commencing on the 27 April 1949, France issued the first stamp in what was to become a glorious set of five Airmail stamps, the last of which was issued on 16 January 1950. All of the stamps in this set were designed and engraved by Albert Decaris. This set is known by the name: Aerial Views of France.

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The 100f  value, issued 27 April, depicts the city of Lille, France.

Lille is located in French Flanders on the Dûele River in the north of France. There is an interesting feature within this stamp worth mentioning. Turn your eye to the middle left of the stamp. You will see a column. This is the Goddess Monument. It commemorates Lille's resistance to the Austrian siege of 1792. Atop the column stands the Goddess. She has in her right hand a a linstock, which was used to light the fuses of cannons. Another interesting feature in the stamp is located in the centre foreground of the stamp. This arched structure is known as the Porte de Paris. This is one of the gates that was originally a part of the ancient wall that surrounded the city.

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The 200f value, issued 23 June, depicts the city of Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is a port city located on the Garonne River in southwestern France. Bordeaux is considered the wine capital of the world. There are a couple of features in this stamp worth highlighting. The first is the Gustave Eiffel Railway bridge in the centre of the stamp. And to the left stands St. Michael's church, with the prominent bell-tower known as "The Arrow" reaching toward the sky.

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The 300f value, issued 23 June, depicts the city of Lyon.

Lyon is located in east-central France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alps region, between Paris and Marseille. The Rhône and the Saône Rivers snake through the centre of this amazing stamp. The left side of the stamp is dominated by a geographical feature known as "The Hill That Preys". Sitting atop the hill is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fouvière. And behind that at the top left is the Tour métallique, a TV tower fashioned to resemble the last stage of the Eiffel Tower.

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The 500f value, issued 1 July, depicts the city of Marseille.

Marseille is located in France's south coast, and is the second largest city in France. The prominent feature of this stamp is the Old Port, which has been the city's natural harbour since around 600 BC when Greek settlers from Phocaea arrived.

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The 1,000f value, issued 16 January 1950, depicts the city of Paris.

The capital of France, Paris is located in the north of the country on the River Seine. This stamp is the pièce de résistance of the set. It is truly superb! The image is looking west. Dominating the centre left of this stamp is Notre Dame Cathedral. Winding through the right of the stamp is the river Seine.

This stamp also highlights some of the many bridges of Paris. While doing research for this blog, I found a great Powerpoint presentation on the net dealing with the bridges of Paris on stamps. Click HERE to look at the presentation. Within that presentation is an image that lists the names of many of the bridges Decaris engraved into the stamp.

Until next time...