The Stamp Album

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 16, 9 April 1927, Page 21

The Stamp Album

CHRISTIAN INSPIRATION IN STAMP DESIGN. Philately offers such a wide field of interest that anyone may lincl an outlet for their activities, and perhaps that is why the hobby continues to flourish and to increase *ts sphere of influence year by year. What are sometimes referred to as the side tracks of philately prove to be highly successful in gaining new recruits and in rc-enlisting or retaining old enthusiasts, writes H. F. Healey in the “Philatelic Magazine.” There is no doubt that there is quite a large number of collectors who, for some reason or another, give up collecting. Quite apart from lack of time and similar reasons, there are many who have, unintentionally perhaps, made of their hobby a kind of second-rate science, and its consequent exactions have become wearisome. Philately as a hobby is as we make it, and it is within the scope of all to make it a pursuit which will give a maximum amount of pleasure with but a minimum of expenditure. In “L’lnspiration Chretienne* et La Philatelic,” the importance and the inkiest derived from the study of stamp design has been enlarged upon and carried through to build up quite a substantia) monograph on a topic of secondary import.mce. The work is ample proof that serious collectors are paying more attention to the designs of postage stamps. It is an interesting study, and one which should readily commend itself to the collector who wishes to make philately a pleasure. The ultrascientific school base invariably avoided the subject of stamp designs. There are disciples of this school of philately who, aithough they point out with triumph some minute flaw on the plate, are often quite ignorant of the subject of the design itself, its origin or its connection with the country it represents. It is quite erroneous to suppose that this study and appreciation of the design is a whole is a sphere of activity for the junior or the tyro. It is nothing off the sort, for its pursuit is full of interest and instruction for collectors of all ages and all stages of philatelic lore. In addition, it affords an excellent connecting link between the beginner and the advanced collector, where both may meet on an equal footing, a most important point and one which is so often wanting when collectors of different ages and aspirants meet together. The authors, referring to the beginning of the career of the postage stamp, again introduce the idea that our old friend the Pennv Black came into being in January of 1840, but May 6, 1840, is lh ‘ date, which allows a cover to be deK ibed as “used on day of issue.” This, however, i s » small matter and does n>t greatly concern the subject which ' s being discussed by Mm Gisquiere and Strowski. It is really surprising to what an ex[ent the story of the Christian religion has been introduced into stamp design, borne of these, of course, are quite obvious and have been used to commem"late some event in the Christian world. Others, however, are not so readily discovered, more especially when the pious vein has been introduced in to a design, tne main feature of which has been convened on other lines. These little touches, while fully apparent when pointed out. are quite lost to the casual I ’bserver, and are excellent examples of •he value of studying stamp design. <-uriouslv enough those stamp issuing countries the names of which are suggestive of a religious origin, like Salva- [!" r and Trinidad, have not introduced hie subject into their stamp designs, J ntl in this category must be included “{• Christopher, SL Helena, St. Lucia, “ L Vincent, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. J* ranee and Spain, both Catholic coun— [ r, es. have shown no inclination to embody any Christian symbols as a part of , e,r stump designs. The former might said to favour the other extreme by adopting inspiration *rom pagan deities, ‘be Christian inspiration in postage slum,, design must be sought further a ,cId * and the compilers of the work already referred to appear to have dealt thoroughly with the subject. khrist, the man, as he would have apPoured carrying out his mission appears but once, and this was on the special i to commemorate the tercentenary ut the Propagation of the Faith three * eap * ago. This issue is one of several "Inch hav c been introduced by the Ital- ! ; m P°stal authorities during the past i Icvv . years. There was the “Anno Santo” ° r "Holy Year” series of 1925, the de- j Mgns showing the historic churches in j w>me and the ceremony of the Holy j u °or. More recently we have had an p SUe honour of St. Francis of Assisi. ' ortugal too occupies a prominent posi- i the well-known issue depicting , «*ne s and incidents in the life of St. Anthony of Padua, having made its apPearance over St) years ago. sitf Cre aPe a host of stamp de- • gn a which include the Cross in one V j m or another as a part of the central ‘gnitte or decorative border. The voyV s , Columbus, Prince Henry the ; ‘* vi * a, « r , and Vasco da Gama, all rebenediction of the Cross, and e stamps ot many countries commem- ‘ ing these events or alluding to the ‘‘Smal founding of these communities

usually include the Cross as a part o the picture. It is very interesting to study th. varied conceptions of the same subject as represented on the stamps of dif ferent stamp-issuing countries. There are quite a large number of rendering; of Our Lady, from the large format stamps of modern Hungary to the qua ini types of Bavaria and Lithuania. The Virgin introduced to collectors on thi Hungarian high values of 1921-1925 is in a class apart. Here Our Lady occupies the position of the patron saint of the country, clothed in regal vestments, with the crown of St. Etienne on her head. The infant Jesus holds in his hand the globe of the world surmounted by the patriarchal cross, the type which also figures as a watermark for a number of issues of the country. The Independence issue of Lithuania has two representations of the Virgin, that on t lie 10 skatiku value being quite a novel rendering of the subject. Here we see Our Lady offering the head of Christ It o a kneeling figure. The idea is intended to convey the story of Lithuania receiving her independence and the established creed in one. The reproduction ( of a mediaeval statue representing the Virgin supporting the body o* Christ was chosen for the 1925 issu H i of the Saare. The patriarchal cross of Hungary has already been alluded to, and it is interesting to note the varied types of the Christian symbol which has found its way into postage stamp design. The stamps of the free city of Danzig are adorned with the croix patte, the origin of the familiar postmark on the first postage stamps to be brought into use, and often wrongly *1 escribed as a Maltese Cross. We find specimens of the latter type on the 1924 series of Monaco, and of course on the postal emissions of Malta. The real Maltese Cross, the badge of the Knights of St. John, and still worn by the members of this ancient order, converges to a point in the centre, with two points to each limb. These eight points signify the eight beatitudes of the original order—spiritual joy, to live without malice, to weep over thv sins, to humble myself to those that injure thee, to love justice, to be merciful, to be sincere and pure of heart, to suffer persecution. These were the tenets of the creed of the knights who ruled over the island for seven and ahalf centuries, and which constituted the original Rule of Raymond. The cross itself first came into use in 1259 by a decree of Pope Alexander IV., and was originally a white cross on a red field. This was' the first flag of the island, and the colours have been retained to this day. It is worth recalling that the arms of Malta are the oldest of all the Colonial armorial bearings, and are described as “per pale argent and gules, a cross of eight points silver, on a shield of their colours. This appears as a shield divided vertically half red and half white, and upon which appears an eight-pointed cross, that portion which falls on the white or silver portion ot the shield being red and vice versa, The new Maltese stamps show this shield but not the cross upon it. Two promient designs on the stamps of Malta are referred to—the monograph alieady referred to —the shipwreck of St. Paul on the shore of the hav which now bears his name, and St. Publius on the 1 6 denomination of the current series. Publius was the son of the Roman Governor of the island, and was created first bishop of Malta by St. Paul in the 58th year of the Christian era—the vear of St. Paul’s visit to the island. The cathedral at Notabile is supposed to have been built on the site of the house once occupied by Malta’s first primate, and it may be mentioned here that although Valletta is now the capital, the seat of the present bishop of the island is in the old capital. The cross which figures so prominently on the Greek issue of 1913 is described in the work under review as a cross pattee. but it is more like the type generally referred to as the cross potancc The current series of Ireland supplies of the Celtic type found in the green isle and in the north and west of Scotland, and which vary from a cross incised on a flat slate to an elaborate cruciform monument. Manv inhabitants of these islands are apt to regard St. George as their personal property, and are quite surprised to find that the soldier from Cappudocia, patron saint of England and of all good cavalrymen, is claimed by other peoples too. We have him on the stamps of Crete, Russia and Georgia, but the only British Colony to honour St. George is Tasmania, where he will be found on the fiscal postals of 1863. Here he is depicted as we once used to see him on the sovereign, a coin now alas relegated to the numismatist and not for the use of ordinary mortals. The Cretan idea is much on the same recognised lines, and occupies a position on the 5 drachmae values of 1900, all the other designs, the portrait types excepted, depicting pagan deities. The Russian St. George on the Charity senes of 1914 is armed with a lance instead of the familiar short sword of Roman pattern, and the setting is in the sumptuous byzantine style. He figures again on th« stamps' of Georgia before that State became a part of Soviet Russia, and here we have him on prancing steed i« search of the dragon which is not included in the picture. lhis is a no\ cl type of St. George and looks very much i like one of those auxiliary light-horse-men who helped to win Ciesar’s battle*.