A King's Death Mask.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7752, 2 March 1905, Page 4

A King's Death Mask.

-XX KXTHAOKI>INAUY STOin . The story of a postage stamp and the rownge of a fallen Queen are the one topic of conversation throughout Servia. Bulgaria, and lloumunia. to commemorate King Peter's coronation, the Servian Government .V cidid to issue a series of .speci.ill\designed postage stamps, of considerable artistic value and of large size. When the rough desi«n of the stamps, which were to bear side tjj side the profile of King Peter and Jus ancestor Kara George, was approved, the final drawing and engraving were entrusted to a French ar tist, M. Mouchon. The . result was admired by all. But before the stamps had been in circulation manv weeks the Servian Government suddenly called in all that remained unsold, and made desperate efforts to collect wen single specimens in the hands of private individuals. For when the stamp was held upside down there appeared clearly to every■ one the death mask of the murdered Kikg Alexander. The ghastly face of the dead Sovereign was made to appear by the engraver cleverly manipulating the eyebrows, eyes, and noses of the two Karageorgevitch profiles. King Alexander's distorted and mutilated face is formed by a portion of King Peter's head with that of his ancestor, Kara. George. The nostrils of the two heads together form the eyes, the moustache* make the eyebrows, and the eyebrow and eye of Kara George form King Alexander's nose and mouth. It is stated that the engraver was inspired by ex-Queen Natalie to ' fake' the design and introduce the features of her murdered son. The ' death mask ' stamps, as they are now called, have undoubtedly made a profound impression in the Servian Army, and . among the uneducated classes. The Government attempt -,to recall all the stamps proved fruitless, as thousands have been used on letters, and a vast number are held by private individuals in Servia. The ! Servian (iovcrnment, however, have .instructed their agents in London,. : raris, and Berlin to visit stamp dealers and speculators and buy up as many of the ill-omened postage labels as possible, regardless l of cost.