Faroe Islands 1984 - Fishing

Cod, mackerel, herring, blue whiting. No this is not Fishing Crazy! These are just some of the fish species upon which the survival of the Faroe Islands depends, and has done so since the middle of the 19th century. Interestingly, for a long time prior to this the primary industry on the islands was based around sheep. The production of woolen socks! Indeed, the name Færøerne in Danish most likely derives from an Old Norse word fær (sheep).

But back to fishing. Beginning around 1856 the primary export of the Faroe Islands became salted cod. It goes without saying that in order to salt said cod it first needs to be caught. Enter the fisherman. Catching cod was no easy matter. Fishermen had to embark on long journeys to the Barents Sea, located off the northern coast of Norway at the edge of the Arctic Ocean. Of course, not all fishermen had to go so far afield. Many species of fish were caught in the North Sea and in Icelandic waters. Over time the industry of fish farming became popular on the Faroes, producing primarily salmon. In fact, the salmon farming company Bakkafrost, which is the largest of the four salmon farming companies in the Faroe Islands, is the eighth largest on the globe!

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On 10 September 1984 Faroe Islands issued a set of three stamps honouring the brave fishermen of the Faroe Islands. The stamps were engraved by Czeslaw Slania. Each stamp has been beautifully rendered to be almost picture-perfect. The delicate mastery with which Slania wields his burin never ceases to amaze me! Just feast your eyes...

The 280o stamp depicts a fishing vessel known to the Faroese as a Slupper.

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The 300o stamp depicts a group of fisherman preparing to haul in the day's catch.

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The 12kr stamp features a ship's captain at the tiller, decked out in his all-weather gear. Check out the detail of those mittens and the tiller rigging. Fantastic!

Until next time...

Brazil 1985 - Brasilia Banknote

He had an audacious plan: "fifty years of prosperity in five." The man with the plan was Juscelino Kubitschek, President of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. Part of his plan for the prosperity of Brazil was the construction of a new capital city called Brasilia. 

This colossal monument to modernist architecture was planned and developed by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. And the architect for the massive amount of landscaping was Roberto Burle Marx. Amazingly, the city was built in just 41 months, between 1956 and 1960. The official opening was on 21 April 1960. The city's radical yet simple design divided it into numbered blocks. The city was also divided into sectors for specified activities, such as the Hotel Sector, the Banking Sector and the Embassy Sector. In fact, the city of Brasilia was later chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

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The city of Brazilia and President Kubitschek were both featured on a 100,000 Cruzeiros, banknote. It is important to note that this denomination was in "old" currency. Czeslaw Slania was chosen to engrave both sides (I believe) of the banknote. 

A year after this note was issued, Brazilian currency had an overhaul. The basic unit of currency was now the Cruzado. 1 Cruzado now equaled 1,000 of the old Cruzeiros. Consequently, new currency was printed to reflect this change. The Brazilian authorities opted to retain the Slania engraved banknote, seen above, with the denomination altered. Below is the banknote with Cruzados. Incidentally, this currency only lasted until 1989.

Until next time...

Faroe Islands 1984 - 25 Years of Europa Stamps

Way back in 1956 a decision was made to create a common design stamp issue for the European community. The idea was to not only promote the rewarding pursuit of philately, but also to educate people in the history of Europe and the common roots that Europeans share. Thus the EUROPA stamp issue was born. Below is an example from Luxembourg of the first EUROPA issue in 1956.

In 1959, three years after the first EUROPA issue, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) was formed. Indeed, the acronym "CEPT" was displayed on EUROPA all stamps after 1960. It should be noted that from 1974 participating countries were no longer bound by a common design stamp issue. Different designs were allowed so long as they conformed to a common theme. This was a great idea, which allowed for artistic originality and the freedom to incorporate cultural diversity into each design.

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1984 marked the 25th anniversary of EUROPA stamps. To celebrate the occasion each of the 23 contributing countries issued their own uniquely designed stamps. On 2 April Faroe Islands issued a set of two stamps of the same design with different values. The issue was designed by J. Larriviere. The design featured a stylised bridge over water, reflecting, I assume, the bridging of the distances between European countries both physically and metaphorically. The master, Czeslaw Slania, was asked to engrave the design. The simple, yet elegant, lines of this design make for a visually appealing stamp.

Until next time...

Faroe Islands 1983 - More Saintly Carvings

More than a year has passed since I last visited the oldest functioning church in the Faroe Islands, a church which has a connection with the stamp engraving guru, Czeslaw Slania. That church is Saint Olav's, and its origins date to the 12th Century. The church was reconstructed in 1874. It is located in the village of Kirkjubøur on the island of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands.

So you might be asking yourself what is the connection between Czeslaw Slania and Saint Olav's? It all started back in medieval times when it was decided it would be nice to decorate the ends of the church pews of Saint Olav's with elaborate carvings. Pews are the long benches found in churches upon which parishioners sit. The ends, generally wooden, are often decorated. Below is an example of the beautifully carved pew ends that were housed in Saint Olav's, all of which are now located in the National Museum of the Faroe Islands. There were twelve of these marvellous pews in the church, each one representing an important Christian figure.

These pew ends are such fine pieces of art that the Faroe Islands Postal Authority decided to celebrate their beauty by featuring them on three sets of four stamps, issued between 1980 and 2001. Czeslaw Slania was picked to do the engravings. There were four stamps initially printed, and these were issued on 8 October 1980. Two subsequent sets of four were issued in 1984 and 2001. In this blog I will focus on the second set of four issued on 30 January 1984.

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The first pew end carving this time around depicts St John. In this carving we see St John holding what I presume is the Holy Grail. At the Last Supper, John sat next to Jesus and leaned on him as a sign of support, so the Grail is a symbol of his loyalty to Christ. Above St John on the top portion of the pew, we find a shield, upon which are carved three crowns. 

Taking a closer look at the face of St John, the irregularities and aging of the timber have been added by Slania, giving the design that extra touch of authenticity.

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The second stamp in the series depicts the carved image of St Jacob. St Jacob is often depicted holding a staff. On the shield above St Jacob we find a pair of crossed keys, which basically represent the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

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The third stamp in the series depicts the carved image of St Thomas. St Thomas' attribute is a spear, which we can see in his right hand. And upon the shield above him is a crossbeam, representing the cross of St Thomas.

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The final stamp in the series depicts the carved image of St Jude, also known as Thaddeus. St Jude's attribute is a club, which he is wielding in his left hand. The shield above St Jude is adorned with the Toulouse Cross and halo.

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I am yet again amazed at the stunning true-wood appearance of the pews in these stamps. The detail Slania has captured in each and every one of these pew ends is exquisite. Bravo, Mr Slania! I have just one final comment. In my blog post dealing with the 1980 issue in this series, I mentioned that I had only one criticism. I have the same criticism this time around also. It is purely an aesthetic one. I just really don't like the background colours chosen for these stamps. But that's just my opinion.

Until next time...