The following blog is a re-publication of my very first Slania Crazy! blog post. Blogger for some reason decided to delete it when I went back to edit it. So here it is again, a little re-vamped. Note that the information on General Dabrowski was updated in a blog I wrote after this one, so to preserve the antiquity of this article I won't add the new information here. Instead I refer you to THIS post.
The name Czeslaw Slania has become synonymous with engraving brilliance. But where did the master begin? What was the first stamp he engraved? Well, it actually wasn't a full stamp. We all have to start somewhere. In 1950 under the watchful eye of master engraver M.R. Polak, Slania, then an apprentice engraver, was permitted to engrave the metal head of the hammer being wielded by a Polish worker in the stamp featured below.
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The name Czeslaw Slania has become synonymous with engraving brilliance. But where did the master begin? What was the first stamp he engraved? Well, it actually wasn't a full stamp. We all have to start somewhere. In 1950 under the watchful eye of master engraver M.R. Polak, Slania, then an apprentice engraver, was permitted to engrave the metal head of the hammer being wielded by a Polish worker in the stamp featured below.
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A proof of the stamp is also available in a special booklet in a different colour. I personally prefer the colour chosen for the proof.
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Okay, so what about the first stamp engraved entirely by Czeslaw Slania? It wasn't long in arriving - the next year in fact! 1951. The stamp was again for Poland, and it was issued to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Paris Commune. If the skill of Slania had not been evident in the first stamp he worked on, this stamp leaves no room for question. It is simply beautiful.
There is an interesting story that goes along with this stamp. The portrait on the stamp is supposed to depict General Jaroslaw Dabrowski, but instead by some mistake somewhere along the line the portrait actually depicts the composer and pianist Henryk Dabrowski. I have been unable to locate another image of the composer Dabrowski for comparison, but I have found images of Gen. Jaroslaw Dabrowski. One such image is on a Polish banknote.
If indeed the portrait on the stamp is the composer Henryk Dabrowski, then the likeness he bears to Gen. Jaroslaw Dabrowski is rather striking. One could be forgiven for mixing the two up. Do these two gentlemen bear a striking resemblance? Are they perhaps brothers? Or is the portrait on the banknote wrong also? Or is the portrait of the correct man after all? If anyone has any information relating to this stamp, I'd love to hear from you.
Until next time...
Stay Slania Crazy!
Until next time...
Stay Slania Crazy!
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Matt,
DeleteI have read your previous post about Dąbrowski and article in Close Up. Moreover I have found this Przekrój magazine number in digital library. There are a long article regarding mistake of portraits images. There are also pictures of pianist and composer Henryk Dąbrowski! Yes, he existed! He was the pupil of composer Liszt and composed few tracks. But was completly forgotten. If you are interested I can send you this article and answer your questions about it.
Cheers,
Keram
Hi Keram,
ReplyDeleteThat would be awesome! Thanks for the offer! If you can send me your email address through these messages (I will not post the comment to keep it private) then I will send you an email and you can relpy to it with a copy of the article. Sound okay? Or if you already have my email address, well even easier! :)
Matt