France 1951 - Palace of Fontainebleau

How can a Medieval Hunting Lodge for French Kings be transformed into a stunning Palace that spawned Renaissance Art in France? To answer this question we need to delve into the fascinating history of the Palace of Fountainbleau (in French: Château de Fontainebleau).

The long history of Fontainebleau stretches back almost a millennia. In 1167 a fortified castle was built at Fontainebleau, about 50 km from Paris. Termed a castle, it seemed to be more of a glorified hunting lodge for the Kings of France to show off their prowess against the abundant game in the area. Then, when done hunting, they could luxuriate in one of the many springs scattered throughout the surrounding forest. Indeed, the name of the later Palace was derived from one of these springs, the fountain de Bliaud.

Over the course of the next three centuries more than one King Louis cavorted behind the castle's stout walls. King Louis VII invited Thomas Beckett to the castle and had him consecrate the chapel in 1169. And Louis IX had a hospital and a convent built next to the castle.

To witness the beginning of the large scale changes to the castle we need to skip forward to the 15th century to the reign of King Charles VI (1380-1422). It was actually Charles' wife Isabeau of Bavaria who began to shake the place up a bit with some modifications to the castle. 

Isabeau had definitively set the stage but it wasn't until 1515 when Francis I took the throne that the renovations truly got off to a start. Francis commissioned French architect, Gilles le Breton, to build him a grand palace in the new Renaissance style, a palace henceforth known as the Palace of Fountainbleau, Instead of demolishing everything, Giles le Breton built around portions of the original castle, incorporating them into the new palace. His architectural prowess can be seen in such areas of the Palace as the monumental Renaissance stairway, known as the portique de Serlio.

But perhaps the most significant period of the Palace's history, and indeed the history of art in France, was yet to come. Francis I had a grand gallery (long hallway) built, linking his apartments with the Palace's chapel. He wanted it elaborately decorated. To achieve this goal he hired Italian architect, Sebastiano Serlio, and Florentine painter, Giovanni Battista di Jacopo, better known as Rosso Fiorentino. For the next six years they worked tirelessly, adorning the gallery with sumptuous murals and stucco reliefs, all glorifying the King. A third painter, the Italian, Francesco Primaticcio, came over to add his own artistic flair. Together this team created a style now known as the first 'School of Fountainbleau'. This can be considered the beginning of Renaissance Art in France.

Over time more French kings added their own touches to the amazing Palace of Fountainbleau, either to the current structure or acquiring more surrounding lands to build more wings. To detail all of the building works would take me all day! Click HERE for a more detailed discussion on the Palace of Fountainbleau. Having said that, there were two later additions that I found interesting. The Theatre, built during the reign of Louis XV. And the Chinese Museum, added in 1867.

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On 22 January 1951, France issued another set in their Sites and Monuments series. This series comprised six stamps. The 12f Palace of Fountainbleau stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

This gorgeous stamp features the East Wing of the Palace. Decaris has managed to capture the true essence of this incredible example of Renaissance architecture. The steep-pitched roofs. The elegant dormers. The tall, slender chimneys. It's all here. Decaris has even chosen a font for the titles that reflects the Renaissance era. But perhaps the most important aspect of this stamp design is the famous Horseshoe Staircase, dominating the foreground.

This striking architectural feature was originally constructed during the reign of King Henry II. Henry and his wife, Catherine de' Medici, extended the East Wing of the Palace and added this staircase to serve as a grand entrance. In 1640 the staircase was rebuilt for Louis XIII into what we can see today. The image below gives one the sense of the scale of this massive staircase.

Until next time...

I Muse...on a Scandal in Saarland

Autumn has arrived Down Under. So what better way to welcome a new season than a bit of a scandal...

The year was 1948. French stamp engraver Albert Decaris had submitted several designs for a new Saarland definitive series. The designs were accepted, three of which featured the faces of Saarland workers. But little did the French Postal Authorities know, these designs were based on photographs Decaris had seen and used without gaining permission from the original photographer, Ilse Steinhoff. Apparently, a long legal battle ensued.

After the stamps had been issued, the people who had had their photos taken saw themselves on stamps, and naturally they were quite shocked! Subsequently, an article was published in ILLUS magazine  revealing the faces the stamp images belonged to. As a collector I found seeing the original photos quite cool.

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The 2f and 3f stamps depict a miner named Josef Holz from Hasborn at the harvest.

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The 4f and 5f values depict Josef Holz's daughter, Alina. She is also busily harvesting.

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The 6f and 9f values depict Josef Holz standing proudly at the entrance of a mine. Incidentally, this image was used on the cover of ILLUS magazine.

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While searching for information on these stamps I also came across one of Decaris' sketch's for Holz standing before the mine.

In case you are interested this article can be found in ILLUS 1948 No.3 - "The Living Stamp". If anyone knows where a copy of this issue can be purchased, please let me know. I'd love to have a copy of it for my collection.

Until next time...

France 1951 - Textile Exhibition

The heart of the textile industry in France was in the region of Lille. So what better place to host the 1951 International Textile Exhibition. The Exhibition was held at the Grand Palais de la Foire de Lille. This building was constructed in 1932. It was actually damaged quite badly during WWII, so the opportunity was taken to repair and renovate the building for the Exhibition.

The Exhibition opened on 28 April 1951 and it truly was an international affair with the textile industries of some 22 countries represented. The visitor could peruse textile exhibits from countries including Germany, Belgium, South Africa, Pakistan, Japan, New Zealand and Australia to name just a few. Each day boasted a different theme focusing on a particular material such as silk, nylon, rayon,wool, cotton and many others.

Perhaps the primary purpose of the Exhibition was to allow participating countries to present their own production methods, and the types of machinery and materials they utilized. For instance, Japan demonstrated how they manufacture cotton and rayon garments in a simple and cost-effective manner.

The Exhibition ran for three weeks, concluding on 20 May 1951. Judging by the number of visitors to the Grand Palais, it was a smashing success. It is said that over 1.5 million visitors attended the Expo from France and across the world.

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On 7 April 1951 France issued a stamp to celebrate the International Textile Exhibition of 1951 in Lille. The stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

This lovely design depicts a pair of hands proudly holding a weaving shuttle for us to admire. In the background we see the shuttle at home with numerous others of its kind in a weaving loom. So just what is a shuttle? Something used for flying into space? Well, not in this instance. A shuttle is basically a tool that is used in the process of weaving yarn called the "weft" horizontally through vertical strands of yarn called the "warp". See the image below. The title of the stamp has been written in such a way as to suggest that it has been woven from the thread stored within the shuttle. Very artistic!

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While researching this subject I came across another rather cool stamp, presumably issued for the Exhibition as a label of some sort. It also features a shuttle. And I have been informed that this label was actually engraved by Pierre Gandon, one of my other primary collecting interests (thanks for the information, Adrian). You may like to check out my Pierre Gandon blog. Click HERE

Until next time...

I Muse... On My Holy Grail Stamp

We all have that Holy Grail item that we yearn to have for our collection, be it a much desired stamp, a cover, or piece of postal history. This piece for one reason or another is beyond our grasp, at least for the present!  When I started collecting Albert Decaris stamps I was truly amazed that such beautiful work could, in general, be so inexpensive and relatively easy to procure. But then I started to look at Decaris' work for the French colonies the prices started to rise. Stamps were still within my limited budget, but gathering them would be a slower process. 

Then I saw it. That one stamp that was priced so high that I never thought I'd have the chance to add it to my collection. And it just so happened to be a most beautiful stamp. A stamp that, upon laying eyes on it, I fell in love with. Isn't that always the way!!

This elusive stamp I speak of - my Holy Grail - is an Airmail stamp for Andorra. The 1957 500f blue, to be precise. This stamp, the highest value in a set of three Airmails, is listed in Stanley Gibbons for £85 mint £90 used. I know a lot of stamps these days don't achieve anywhere near catalogue value. Nevertheless, this stamp still demands a reasonably high price on ebay and Delcampe. A price too rich for me, anyway. 

Hoping to perhaps snare a bargain, I have watched many ebay auctions with growing disappointment as the prices escalated beyond my reach over and over. This became a very frustrating pattern. So much so that I had pretty much given up on ever adding this beautiful stamp to my collection. It is very true that the other two lower values in the set are the same design and much cheaper. So why not just buy one of those? Well, I could, but quite honestly it just wouldn't be that dream stamp!

I hadn't given my Andorra "Holy Grail" much thought for a while until a few days ago when I was talking to a fellow Decaris enthusiast and that particular stamp came up in the conversation. Naturally, this prompted me to embark on another one of my "fruitless searches". Or so I thought! Scrolling through the 1957 Andorra sales, I was not surprised to find nothing within my price range. 

But wait! At the bottom of the screen, in the "similar items" category, I spotted something that sent my heart rate through the roof. There it was, like a glowing beacon, beckoning me...

My Holy Grail!

Within my price range!!

I couldn't believe it. I was truly stunned. the stamp I had believed would perhaps never sit in my collection. Right in front of me. Within my grasp! Well, I am incredibly pleased to report it here that I am now the proud owner of an Andorra 1957 500f Airmail designed and engraved by Albert Decaris. Isn't it just stunning?