Art Work, 1997 Gambia

 

This set of stamps slipped past me to a while. I didn't realize if was around for a couple of years. The set us notable for the fact that two organ related stamps are part of the sets. The stamps are reproductions of paintings by various artists. "Angel playing the organ" and "The Graham children" both include representations of organs. Six of the stamps have fairly standard formats. The Hogarth stamp is slightly larger than usual.  My caroler has misidentified the two larger stamps. One is by Lepicie the by Hogarty. Cats feature on the two single-stamp panes. 

Aruba: Cultural Year, 2008

 

Aruba issued this stamp (Scott #317) in March 2008 for the Arubian Cultural year. It is part of a set of four, the second value in the set. the other stamps show various celebrations and dancing. The present stamp shows a positif organ with two musicians. It is not possible to discern any more about the instrument shown.

France: Daumier painting

The date of this cover is 23 March 1967. The stamps are fairly common for the era, and the postmark is unremarkable. The cachet, however features a positif organ in a painting by Honore Daumier. The reverse of the cover has this to say about Daumier and the painting.

Honore Daumier est ne a marseille ie 26 fevrier 1803. Son pere etait vitrier mais, so croyant poete, il abandonne en 1814 sa boutique pour monter a Paris. Deux ans plus tard, il fait venir sa femme et son fils. A 13 ans honore travaille chez un huissier puis devient commis dans une librairie du Palais Royal. Mais il est instable et prefere le dessin. Il parcourt le sues de paris, frequente les artistes de l'epoque et s'enflamme pour les idees republicans. En 1830 Louis Philippe prend le pouvoir et Daumier commence ses dessins satiriques. Il fait un Gargantua representant Louis Philippe gave et distribuant autour de lui des profits et des decorations. Cela lui rapporte 300 francs d'amende et six moin de prison. En 1835 les lois deseptembre, severes pour la presse, l'obligent a suspendre ses dessins politiques et a produire quantite de lithos "sujets de moeurs," pour pouvoir vivre. En 1845 il s'installe dans l'ile Saint-Louise, se met a peindre et a sculpter. Puis, en 1865, a Montmartre, il continue a dessiner pour la presse mais, mal pae, vit peniblement. A 65 ans, il loue une maiconnette a Valmondoins, Menace de padre la vue, il se troupe dans une situation difficile. C'est grace a la generosite de ses amis qu'il peut demeurer dans son lieu de repli. (Corot avait achete la maison et lui en avait fait cadeau pour sa fete.) En 1877 le gouvernement lui accorde une pension de 100 frances par mois, portee a 200 frances l'annee suivante. Daumier neurt a valmondoi . Son corps est transfere au Pere Lachaise en avril. Le timbre reproduit une peinture datant de 1860 set se trouvant au Musee du Louvre. On connait de lui d'innombrables lithographies et peintures, dans de nombreux musees du monde.

Honore Daumier was born in Marseille on February 26, 1803. His father was a glazier but, being a poet, he left his shop in 1814 to go to Paris. Two years later, he brings his wife and son. A 13-year-old honore works at a bailiff and then becomes a clerk in a bookstore in the Royal Palace. But he is unstable and prefers drawing. He travels the sweats of Paris, frequents the artists of the time and ignites for the republican ideas. In 1830 Louis Philippe took power and Daumier began his satirical drawings. He makes a Gargantua representing Louis Philippe gave and distributing around him profits and decorations. That brings him a fine of 300 francs and six months of imprisonment. In 1835 the laws of September, severe for the press, forced him to suspend his political drawings and to produce a quantity of lithos "subjects of morals," to be able to live. In 1845 he moved to Ile Saint-Louise, began to paint and carve. Then, in 1865, in Montmartre, he continues to draw for the press but, badly, lives painfully. At the age of 65, he rents a scrap at Valmondoins, threatens his view, he finds himself in a difficult situation. It is thanks to the generosity of his friends that he can remain in his place of withdrawal. (Corot bought the house and gave it to him for his birthday.) In 1877 the government gave him a pension of 100 francs a month, raised to 200 francs the following year. Daumier neurt a valmondoi. His body is transferred to Pere Lachaise in April. The stamp reproduces a painting dating from 1860 set at the Louvre Museum. He is known for countless lithographs and paintings in many museums around the world.

Most sources indicate Daumier painted "The organ player of Barbary" around 1864-1865. The painting is now in the possession of the Musee Petit-Palais in Paris, France. 

The "arms of Auch" stamp (Scott 1142) was issued in 1966. The Marianne type stamp (Scott 653) was issued in 1951. So it would seem the date of the cover is not related to the issuance of either stamp. Above the cachet the the FDC indication along with "No. 586 Historique FDC. And overprinted atop that is the single word, "Imprime." A circular red mark at the bottom of the cover reiterates that same information with what may be the printer's insignia; it's not quite legible to me. The date of the postmark seems to correlate to neither the painter's birth nor death dates. So the "why" of this cover remains a bit of a mystery to me. My cover was a gift from Mark Jameson who for several years has been associated with the Berkshire Organ Club, which explains that notation on the reverse. It would seem that at some point it passed through the hands of the Empire Philatelic shop in Paris.

Cambodia (Kampuchea): St Cecilia

Cambodia issued a set of 7 stamps plus a mini-sheet of one additional stamp in 1985, celebrating the international music year. The stamps are basic representations of art works that feature music and musical instruments. The 2 riel stamp (Scott 607) is "St Cecilia" by Bartolomeo Schedoni (1578-1615). On the left edge of the stamp, behind the saint's right shoulder is a small, anonymous positif organ. The saint's left hand is passing in front of her body and reaching for the keys of the instrument. An winged angel is at her left shoulder. In front of Cecilia are a lute and tambourine. Beneath her foot seems to be another stringed instrument. Schedoni painted this oil on canvas work in 1610. The work now hangs in the Galleria Nazionale di Capidimonte in Naples, Italy.

Vatican: bas-reliefs

In 1966 Vatican City issued a set of 12 stamps. These were all images of bas-relief carvings found in the private chapel of the Pope. The first of the set of 12 is a carving of Pope Paul VI, done by Enrico Manfrini. The other (artists and craftsmen) carvings were executed by Mario Rudelli; they are found on a chair in the chapel. Each of the stamps is a different color. The stamps depict: organist; painter; cartographer; sculptor; bricklayer; printer; farmer; blacksmith; scholar. The organist is seated at a positiv organ, which is equipped with a built-in stand. The organ seems to have a single set of pipes. The organist stamp (Scott 424) is part of a set that includes the regular issues named above, plus two special delivery stamps showing the pope and the papal arms (Scott E17-E18).

Wallis and Futuna: Ronsard

Wallis and Futuna is a French-related island nation in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. It has had a complicated history. For several years it was a "French overseas territory." Since 2003 it has been termed a "French overseas collectivity." The land area of these islands is barely 50 square miles; the population is around 12,000 persons.

The present stamp was issued in 1985 (Scott #329), 300 years after the death of the stamp's subject, Pierre de Ronsard. Ronsard was a French poet. He is best known for his "love poetry" and his masterful use of language and meter.

The stamp features an image of Ronsard, in silhouette, super-imposed over a compelling drawing. A woman is standing at a table of some type, and is shown playing a positiv organ. A man's face peers over the row of pipes. He may be manipulating the pump for the organ, or perhaps is merely a listener to the music. A curious face (human or animal?) is placed before the table, on the border between the silhouette of Ronsard and the drawing of the woman and organ. I suspect the drawing is an illustration of a scene from one of Rosard's writings. But as I am not at all fmailiar with his oeuvre, I cannot but suppose. There doesn't seem to be any relationship between Ronsard himself and music, let alone the organ. Perhaps someone more familiar with his writings can clarify if this may be a scene from one of the writers works.

Rwanda: "Angels' concert" painting

The African nation Rwanda issued this stamp in 1969 as part of a set of stamps depicting art work with a musical theme. There are 8 stamps in the set including two air mail stamps, but not including two high-value mini-sheets. Other instruments depicted in the paintings shown on these stamps, aside from singers, are a lute, a fife and a piano. This stamp (Scott 281) showing St Cecilia playing an organ is the low value stamp in the set. (This was actually one of the first stamps I ever collected, long before I started playing organ, or focusing my collecting on organ stamps.) Two other angels are playing a harp and a lute in the painting depicted on the present stamp.

The image for the stamp is taken from the Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert van Eyck and his younger brother Jan van Eyck. The younger van Eyck is believed to have completed the work based on his brother's design between 1430 and 1432. The larger work consists of 12 panels, 5 above and 7 below. They together constitute a scene of adoration of the Lamb of God. There are actually two "musical" panels in the upper portion of the altarpiece. The second shows a group of angels singing. The work remains sited in the building for which it was intended: St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent. Van Eyck has included a great deal of detail in his rendering of the positif organ. The keys are remarkably clear, and light reflects from the metal pipes.

German Democratic Republic: Musical Instrument Museum

I got this cover from my friend Mark Jameson in Great Britain. While the stamp does not show a pipe organ, both the postmark and the cachet show an organ. The stamp shows a German tenor flugelhorn from about 1850. The postmark shows an indeterminate organ; the cachet shows an Italianate positiv from around 1500. Looking through the Museum's website I could not find an image of any of these instruments. It seems that this cover was posted August 21, 1979. The stamp was issued in that same year. The museum was founded in 1886 by Paul de Wit, near the St Thomas Church in Leipzig. It's not quite clear if 1979 was an anniversary year for any other point in the museum's history. There are two additional small stamps in the upper left corner of the cover, perhaps to pay additional postage to Uruguay. With the music-related stamp, the postmark and cachet, along with special postal markings, this is a very compelling cover even if the stamp itself is non-organic. Though I could not find the two specific instruments shown on this cover, here are a couple other instruments from the museum's collection.

Germany: 16th Century organ

Germany issued a set of four stamps featuring musical instruments for Berlin in 1973. The high-value stamp features a positiv organ. The stamps are semi-postals with revenue for independent welfare organizations. The lower-value stamps pictured a hurdy-gurdy (.20 +. .10); a 16th century drum (.30 + .15); and an archlute (.40 + .20). Deutsche Post also issued a set of four semi-postal stamps for general usage, outside the Berlin-zone (French horn, pedal piano, violin and pedal harp). I would guess that the organ pictured in this stamp is in a museum but I don't know for sure.

Belgium: Composers

This booklet strip of 5 stamps (Scott #2131) was issued by Belgium 1/23/2006. It features several early composers, on the stamps themselves, and in the selvage. The composers include Josquin de Prez, Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchoise (who is holding what looks like a lyre of some type), Johannes Ockeghem (with men gathered around a music desk), Jacob Obreacht, Adriaan Willaert and Orlandus Lassus. And then, most interestingly, in the left-hand selvage is a little positiv organ. It appears that it is actually the left-hand side of the image that includes Dufay and Binchois, but the stamp perforations create a gap. It's difficult to tell how large this instrument is and whether it might actually be movable, and thus a portativ.

Bhutan: Titian Painting

Bhutan issued this stamp which features detail from a painting by Titian. Venus and the Organ player is one of an apparent series of paintings done for various patrons. The patron got the privilege of being the model for the instrumentalist. There is at least one painting that uses a lutenist and two the feature an organist seated before a positiv. In all, the musician gazes adoringly at Cupid, reclined to the right, and apparently sometimes accompanied by a cherub (Cupid). Since this is a freely composed painting, one cannot expect that the organ pictured is a copy of a specific instrument, but merely a representation of the general nature of table-top instruments. The stamp above demonstrates that there were at least two paintings in similar vein. The organist in the stamp is not the same as the one shown in the painting below. Also the title of the painting used for the stamp above is "Venus and the Organ Player;" that of the painting below is "Venus and Cupid with an Organ Player."