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!

Ivory Coast 1936-1944 - Definitives

Between 1936 and 1944 Ivory Coast issued a large set of 41 definitives comprising 4 different designs. One of the designs, used for 15 of the stamps, was engraved by Albert Decaris. It's possible he also designed the image, but I'm not sure yet. This was the third design Decaris engraved and one can see the burgeoning of a great artistic talent.

The image Decaris designed depicts a coastal scene. This design was issued over five printings between 1936 and 1944. And 8 different colours were used. I recently purchased a set of the Decaris design, but I discovered the set is missing 3 values unfortunately. I guess I'll have to keep hunting for the 3 missing values. Nevertheless. the 12 stamps I received are absolutely fantastic. They are so nice, I decided to show them all here.

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In 1936 six values were issued.

Red Brown

Dark Violet

90c carmine rose (stamp not available yet)

Dark Green

Copper Red

1f 50c ultramarine (image not available yet)

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Two values were issued in 1938.

Black Brown

Carmine Rose

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One value was issued in 1939.

Dark Green

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Four values were issued in 1940.

Carmine Rose

Red Brown

Ultramarine

Black Brown

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One value was issued in 1944.

Greenish Black

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

I Muse...On Omnibus Issues

Today I received a set of stamps Albert Decaris engraved for Cameroun. The 1946 From Chad to Rhine set. I was really excited about getting this beautiful set - I still am! - but what I didn't know until I looked them up in the catalogue today is that these stamps are part of an Omnibus series. This initially deflated me a little, as it meant many, many more sets to collect! Added to that, I didn't have the full set after all. 

So what to do? Does one who collects engraved stamps limit themselves to one example set of an Omnibus series? Or is one more or less obliged to collect every set in the Omnibus series? I guess technically each set is unique in that the name is different on each set. But is this really enough of a difference to justify spending potentially hundreds of dollars on further sets that are essentially the same engravings? 

I guess I've been wondering about this because I've been studying the number of Omnibus series to which Decaris contributed. There are quite a few. A few examples include:

1. 1937 International Exhibit (21 sets)
2. 1939 World Fair (24 sets)
3. 1946 From Chad to Rhine (15 sets)
4. 1946 Victory Stamp (15 stamps)

This list comes from just a quick study of the catalogue. A further complete study could result in even more Omnibus sets. As you can see that is already a lot of stamps!

Ultimately there is no definitive answer on how much or how little to collect. It is very much up to the individual and their stamp budget (mine is rather small). Unfortunately for my budget, I know what I'm like. I can't be satisfied with one example set of each Omnibus. It just wouldn't feel right. My set would always seem incomplete. I think what I will do is collect an example set from each Omnibus first, so at least I do have one of each. Then I will go back and flesh the sets out. Yeah, that sounds good. I believe I just convinced myself :).

What are your opinions on my ramblings? Do you collect one example set? Or do you go the whole hog? 

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!

Monaco 1964 - 5th Monte-Carlo International Television Festival

My first ever true love was television. I grew up spending every moment of my spare time watching my favourite TV shows and movies. TV is just as important to me now, just perhaps not my true love any more (that position is now otherwise taken)! I hadn't been collecting Albert Decaris engraved stamps for long before I came across a couple of TV related stamps he engraved; one for France and one for Monaco (I believe that is all). In this blog I shall study the stamp issued in Monaco.

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The 1964 Monte-Carlo International Television Festival stamp was issued in Monaco on 3 December 1964 to celebrate the fifth festival to be held in 1965. This lovely stamp is bordered by a curtain, which gives the overall composition a cinematic feel. The eye is then drawn to the bottom left of the stamp where Decaris has quite ingeniously placed a television with the stamp's title on the screen. Behind the TV is one of Monaco's primary tourist attractions: The Rock of Monaco. 

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The Monte-Carlo Television Festival was founded in 1961 and based in Monaco. It was created by Prince Rainier III of Monaco as a festival and a competition for television productions. Rainier III saw this new technology as a way to bring cultures closer together and enhance their knowledge of each other.

At the end of the festival the prestigious Golden Nymph awards are held (a bit like the Oscars). Winners of the various categories receive a Golden Nymph statuette, which are copies of the Salmacis Nymph created by the sculptor François Joseph Bosio, the original of which is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Until next time...

Stay Decaris Crazy!