'Modern Ink-Wash Paintings' - Taiwan, 2017

Taiwan Modern Ink-Wash Paintings, full sheets and FDCs, posted on Sep 6th, 2017, from Taiwan to New York, USA, with first day postmarks. Thank you Qingqing for sending these amazing covers. The covers were posted from Shilin, a district of Taipei City, where the National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院) is located. The stamps on the covers feature the following works from renowned modern Chinese painters:

1. Gao Qifeng’s “Macaque” (NT$12)
2. Huang Chun-pi’s “A Secluded Scene of Remote Mountains” (NT$15)
3. Xu Beihong’s “Magpie” (NT$5)
4. Qi Baishi’s “Pumpkin Vines of Abundant Growth” (NT$25)
5. First Day Cover with day postmark
6. First Day Cover with special postmark and day postmark

Due to political reasons, Gao Qifeng and Huang Chun-pi are not as well-known as Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi in Mainland China. Among the two well-known, Qi Baishi is almost synonymous with modern Chinese art, especially his ink-wash paintings of everyday subjects such as shrimp, vegetables, flowers, and insects. Xu Beihong was most famous for his horse paintings, as he combines western techniques with traditional oriental philosophy. Works of them are highly sought after by collectors and often fetch astronomical prices at auctions. 

'Modern Art - Herbert Boeckl' - Austria, 2017

'Modern Art - Herbert Boeckl', posted on Jun 7th, 2017 from Klagenfurt, Austria to New York, USA with special and date postmarks. The additional stamp is from 2016 Young Artists in Austria - Martha Jungwrith. Thank you Mr. Shunyang. 

I have to admit I knew nothing about this artist. So that's what I understand off the internet: He was a prominent artists representing Austria Modernism. Critics were sharply polarized over his work, a love-or-late situation. His paintings have not yet achieved international acclaim as reflected from the lack of English translation under his name in Wikipedia.

Anyways, this is a well made FDC with all the thoughtful ingredients: neat handwriting, two first day postmarks, relevant stamp, e-sticker, and nice layout.

'Ukiyo-e Series 6' - Japan 2017

Japanese Ukiyo-e covers from Kobe, Tokyo, and Yokohama, Japan to New York, USA, posted on Sep 6th with special postmarks and day postmarks. Thank you Masako, Ye, Kouichi, Mitsuhiko, and Ban-No!

Ukiyo-e (浮世絵) is one of my favorite oriental art genre. Popular from 17th - 19th century, it often depicts female beauties, landscape, flora, fauna, and sometimes erotic themes. Compared with Chinese paintings, Ukiyo-e style is more explicit, decorative, and rich in color, thus much more attractive to western artists.

This sheet is the 6th (I hope it never ends) in a series of Ukiyo-e issued by Japan Post. It showcases female beauty paintings/wood block prints by various artists (菊川英山, 喜多川歌麿, 鳥文斎栄之) on one side, and landscape painting/wood block prints by (歌川広重) on the other. It is simply a beauty.

Note that on the last cover, the US Post Office just cannot help adding their personal touch to the otherwise perfect cover.

'Cozy Worthies Map' - China, 2016

'Cozy Worthies Map', issued by China, posted Apr 2nd, 2016, from People's Park in Shanghai, China, and Mt. Quaiji in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, to Shenayang.

The 'Cozy Worthies Map' is the official translation of the painting, aka painting of hermits. This is a rare painting from the Tang Dynasty by Su Wei, which measures 168.7 cm long and 45.2 cm and wide. It depicts four of the seven famous intellectuals (worthies) including Shan Tao, Wang Rong, Liu Ling and Ruan Ji from the Wei and Jin dynasties, a period known for its tolerance and respect of various schools of thoughts.

The first cover was sent from Mt. Quaiji, where the stories in the painting occurred. The second painting was sent from People's Park, where the Shanghai Museum, home to the painting, resides.

'Princely Treasures: Peter Fendi (1796-1842)' - Liechtenstein, 2017

'Princely Treasures: Peter Fendi (1796-1842)' - Liechtenstein, 2017, posted from Liechtenstein to U.S. on Jun 6, 2017, with special postmarks.

The stamp set consists of three paintings from Austrian artist Peter Fendi, including “Request for Admission” (value: CHF 0.85), “Sneaking a Peak” (value: CHF 1.00) and “A Child’s Prayer” (value: CHF 1.50). The paintings were completed during an era known as Biedermeier (1815 - 1848) when the middle class enjoyed prosperity and drew artists to depict common sensibilities.

Peter Fendi was a leading artist during the Biedermeier period. He was also an engraver and lithographer, who engraved a series of Austrian banknotes. The first time I saw his paintings, I thought his style was rococo. There are some resemblance, but the subjects are quite different.

It is interesting how Philatelie Liechtenstein make up the postage by writing the value on the cover. I think it is pretty nice. Also all the USPS sorting codes were sprayed on the top of the cover, which does not happen very often.

'Chinese Landscape Painting' - Macau, 2016

'Chinese Landscape Painting' - Macau, 2016, posted on Oct 9th, from Macau to Shenyang, China, with the special and first day postmarks. Thank you, Boss He!

The stamp set includes the following water and ink paintings

• Autumn of Danxia
• Verdant Shennongjia
• A night of rain at the mountain, cascades from the rocks
• Waterfalls against the cliffs
• Golden Autumn of Xiajiang 

In 2016, the Macau Post issued two sets of Chinese painting stamps, which was unusual since both of them share similar audience (me :), for example). The additional postage was paid by using e-stamps, which has become a hot collecting topic among Macau stamp collectors. The Macau Post issues a Zodiac e-stamp every year with limited quantities and they have been sold out quickly and older issues on covers are highly sought-after. 

'Traveler at Shanyin County' - Taiwan, 2016

'Traveler at Shanyin County' (山陰客窗圖), Taiwan, 2016, posted from Taiwan to Shenyang, China, on Oct 24th, with first day postmarks. All the covers were mailed from the National Museum of History where the original painting is housed. Thank you Shiqing! 

1 - Cover with a pair souvenir sheet: The Changyong Post issued a pair of uncut souvenir sheet with a relatively small quantity. This is an official FDC. 

2 - Cover with two fan painting issues in 2016. This cover includes the other fan painting and calligraphy souvenir sheet issued on Jan 13th of the same year.

3 - Cover with a single souvenir sheet. 

Lan Ying (藍瑛) was a master from the Zhe School of China, who was mostly famous for his paintings of landscape, flowers, and people figures. His paintings reflect one of the traditional philosophies in oriental artwork, that is, the harmony between people and nature. His brushwork is simple but exquisite, again a reflection of the admiration of nature and simplicity in life shared by many oriental intellectuals. 

‘Painting and Calligraphy on the Fan Souvenir Sheet’ – Taiwan, 2016

Painting and calligraphy on the fan is a genre of Chinese art that the Chinese populace, especially intellectuals, cherish.  The FDC was issued on Jan 13th, 2016 featuring painting and calligraphy by Wen Zhengming, a famous artist in the Ming Dynasty. The fan is a prized exhibit of the National Museum of History, where the FDCs in the picture were sent. Both a paper and bamboo chip version were issued (mine is a paper version), which are the materials to make a fan. The additional five sets of fan painting and calligraphy stamps were issued in Taiwan during 1970s.

This set was purchased from another collector and remains as one of my favorites. The way that relevant stamps are added to the new issued FDC is called Jia Tie (). I am not sure whether this concept is popular in other countries but in China, it is becoming an area where collectors can maximize their knowledge, creation, and imagination, while minizine their pocket during the process. Well, some of them are too wealthy to care :)

'Paintings of Macao’s Famous Artists' - Macau, 2016

'Paintings of Macao’s Famous Artists' white and official FDC covers, posted on Aug 25, 2016 from Macau to Shenyang, China, with first day and special postmarks. Thank you, Boss He.

The quality of Macau stamps is exceptional. This stamp set is well designed and printed, which includes six stamps and a souvenir sheet. Based on the information provided by Macau Post, the following artists and paintings are included

• Multiple Artists, Joint Effort – “Pine, Chrysanthemum, Flowers and Birds”
• Ng Meng – “Meeting at the later year” “Mountain and Water”
• Lok Cheong – “Nest-bound Birds” “Sai Van Waterfront”
• Kuan Man Le – “Fishing Alone in the Willow Shade” “Angelfish” 
• Tam Chi Sang – “A Ma Temple” “ Kun Iam Temple”
• Kam Cheong Ling – “The Lifestyle of Fishing Harbour” “The Convent of the Precious Blood”
• Kwok Se – “Post Office” “Sailing Boats”

'175th Anniversary of Vasily Vereshchagin' and '150th Anniversary of A.E. Arkhipov' - Russia, 2017

'The 175th Birth Anniversary of Vasily Vereshchagin (1842‒1904)' and 'The 150th Birth Anniversary of A.E. Arkhipov (1862-1930)' souvenir sheets on cover, posted on Jul 25th, 2017, from Novosibirsk, Russia to New York, NY. The first souvenir sheet was first issued on May 24th, 2017 and the latter on Sep 9th, 2012. Thank you, Alexander!

Vasily Vereshchagin  (1842–1904) was one of the most famous war artists in Russia. He traveled extensively to war zones and even took part in combats. He enjoyed fame and controversy at the same time as his paintings realistically depict 'the horror of war'.

Abram Arkhipov was a member of the art collective The Wanderers (The Itinerants). He paints the life of the Russian peasants and landscapes. The stamp depicts his painting "Visiting", with his portrait as the backgroup. 

I got lucky this time as the cover was received before the local post office was able to freelance on it :). But there is still a small mark reads '8/2' which may indicate its arrival date. Alexander was amazed by its speed.

'Ancient Chinese Paintings by Giuseppe Castiglione, Qing Dynasty' - Taiwan, 2017

'Ancient Chinese Paintings by Giuseppe Castiglione, Qing Dynasty', posted on Oct 8th, 2015 from Taiwan to Shenzhen, with special and first day postmarks. The first two are official FDCs and the latter two are white covers.

Giuseppe Castiglione (郎世宁) was a prominent Italian painter, who served in the imperial court during Qing Dynasty's ascend to her peak. His paintings, which fuse the western skill with oriental culture, were well-regarded by the emperors he served, including Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. In addition, he was the architect in charge of designing the western-styled Old Summer Palace, which was looted and burned by the British and French armies in 1859.

The Changhua Post has issued several sets of stamps with Giuseppe Castiglione's paintings, including the 'Eight Prized Horses Paintings Postage Stamps' in 1973, the 'Peacocks' in 1991, this set in 2015, and the 'Flowers and Birds' in 2016 and 2017.

‘Back to Common Roots’ – Macau, 2017

Minisheet, stamp set, and souvenir sheet on covers from Macao to Shenyang, China, posted on Feb 10th, 2017, with first day special and day postmarks. Thank you, Boss He!

Local artist, Lok Hei, painted this Chinese traditional scroll painting. Here is the introduction published by Macao Post: the painting “illustrates in image form about the rich Chinese and Western culture with long history that meet at Macao, and affect each other creatively. The people come together and dedicate themselves in promoting the political, economic and cultural development of Macao; the joy of returning to the motherland and the new appearance of the special administrative region, etc. Lok Hei is the first person to create this kind of drawing in Macao’s art history.”

'World Heritage the Third Series 10' - Japan, 2017

World Heritage the Third Series 10 - "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement" (The National Museum of Western Art), posted from Kobe and Tokyo, Japan to New York, USA on Jul 14th, 2017, with first day special and day postmarks. Thank you, Ye, Ban-no, and Kouichi!

The stamp set includes the following artworks

• "The Thinker (Enlarged)" by Auguste Rodin
• "Roses" by Vincent van Gogh
• "Boy in Flowers (Jacques Hoschede)" by Edouard Manet
• "The Port of Saint-Tropez" by Paul Signac
• "Water Lilies" by Claude Monet

Note how my local post office 'sign' my registered covers? I've complained multiple times to no avail. They still mark my registered covers to this day and there's nothing I can do about it. The postal clerks at the front desk are actually quite amenable to philatelic requests but whoever controls the destiny of registered covers just loves his/her signature a little too much. 

'Treasures from German Museums' - Germany, 2017

Treasures from German Museums - Johannes Vermeer and Jean-Baptiste Oudry, posted on Jan 2nd, 2017 from Germany to New York. Thank you Wolfgang.

Wolfgang was generous enough to send me this awesome set of painting stamps on cover when I just started post-crossing. There are two variants of the set, normal and self-adhesive, as well as two special postmarks from Bonn and Berlin. The set features Jean-Baptiste Oudry's "Pfefferfresser, Jungfern- und Haubenkranich (Pepper eater, crab crane and crane?)" from the Staatliches Museum Schwerin and Johannes Vermeer's "Das Mädchen mit dem Weinglas (The Girl with Wine Glass)" from the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig. Vermeer is obviously the famous one in the duo, who mainly painted everyday life in Holland during the Golden Age. Most of his paintings are based on domestic interior scenes which usually include side lights from an open window.  

'200th Anniv of Ivan Aivazovsky (1817‒1900), a Painter' - Russia, 2017

'The 200th Birth Anniversary of Ivan Aivazovsky (1817‒1900), a Painter' souvenir sheet from Novosibirsk, Russia to New York, USA, posted on Jul 25th, 2017, on the first day of issue. Thank you Alexander!

Ivan Aivazovsky was well-known in Russia, but not much so in China. As many of you already know, P.R.C. was significantly influenced by the Soviet Union when she was in her cradle, industrially, ideologically, and culturally. Till this day, the Soviet Union's influence can still be felt in the older generation of China, particularly on music and painting. However, Ivan Aivazovsky was lesser known in China due to his focus on seascapes (or maybe it is just my ignorance).

BTW, the Soviet Union issued several stamps in 1967 to commemorate his 150 birth anniversary.

'Japanese Paintings' - Japan, 2017

Japanese paintings issue from Kobe and Yokohama, Japan to New York, USA, posted on Jun 7th, 2017, the first day of issue. Thank you Kouichi and Masako!

Year 2017 has seen several painting related stamps issued by the Japan Post, including the Philately Week, World Heritage, Ukiyo-e Series 6, and International Letter-Writing Week. Stamps in this issue come out smaller than I thought but nevertheless a nice set.