Adoration of the Magi by Konrad Witz

Konrad Witz (c 1400-1445) - Adoration of the Magi (c 1444)
New Zealand 3c Stamp Issued Christmas 1974
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, Switzerland

The majority of Witz's work was completed altarpieces during his lifetime, which have since been dismantled and displayed in various art galleries - his art was completed on many medium, including wood and cloth.  The German artist was known for his scenes of realism - he was probably influenced by Flemish artists like Jan van Eyck, even though Witz probably spent all his working life in Basel.

He did not use mystical symbolism although it was very popular in northern Europe at the time - his work is more immediate and real to the viewer.  Witz is best known at the artist who completed the first outdoor landscape of a real site, being Lake Geneva, in 1444.  The painting was called The Miraculous Draft of Fishes.  He worked the majority of his life in the Painters Guild in Basel, but little is known about his training.

Artist Unknown - Girl with Dove

Girl With Dove - Artist Unknown
Poland 90gr Stamp issued 1974
19th Century Painting

This is one of eight stamps depicting children in portrait paintings - issued by the Polish in 1974

Pablo Picasso - Mother and Sick Child

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Mother and Sick Child (1903)
Maldives Stamp Issued 1974
Painting held at the Barcelona Museum, Spain

This is one of Picasso's earlier works, well before he started to mix up peoples faces.  The Maldives is a beautiful group of tropical islands that are stretched intermittently across the Indian Ocean to the south of India.  As the highest point of the Maldives is only 2 metres above sea level, it is one of the most threatened countries if sea levels do rise.  They also issue stamps on many topics that have no relation to the Maldives as a way of raising revenue for the country. 

Other works by Picasso have been used on stamps, including:

Seated Nude, 1905
La Vie, 1903

Madonna and Child - Artist unidentified

Cook Islands Stamp 1c issued 1974
Madonna and Children

I've not been able to identify the painting or artist for this stamp that was issued by the Cook Islands in 1974.  Cook Islands produce many stamps each year, probably as a source of income for the country.  The islands are north east of New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean.

Gerard Ter Borch - Glass of Lemonade

Gerard ter Borch - A Glass of Lemonade (1655-1660)
Russia 10k stamp issued in 1974
Painting held at the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Gerard ter Borch was a Dutch genre painter who was also known for his portraits.  The subjects were always depicted with very expressive looks and fine clothing, so this painting is typical of his work. He also pioneered a style of painting for that time, as many of his characters were depicted standing up, with a portrait format, rather than landscape. He lived a relatively privileged life compared to most other others, travelling throughout most of Europe while also having a good education courtesy of his father who was also an artist. 

His works are relatively rare - six works are held at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin - Saying Grace

Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779) - Saying Grace. (1740). 

Russia Stamp Issued 1974

Louvre, Paris, France.

Chardin was considered to be a master of still life.  He depicted subjects in everyday life and modest means, while also bringing out amazingly light coloured details against dark backgrounds.  His figures were powerful, yet quite anonymous - it was rare for everyday characters of French life to be depicted in paintings at this time.

Chardin was popular during his time, eventually earning a state pension - however his personal life was marred by sadness with the death of his first wife and daughter in the 1740s, shortly after this painting was completed.

Hans Heysen - Red Gums of the Far North

Hans Heysen (1877-1968) - Red Gums of the Far North (1930)

Australia $2 Stamp Issued 1974

Wynne Prize Winner 1931

Heysen came from German origins but he gained fame by monumentalising the gum tree in Australian art.  Eucalypts or gum trees were the primary subject of his art, and they were popular with his audience as well.   He made enough money to buy a property near Hahndorf in the Barossa Valley of South Australia prior to World War I - this is an excellent location for sampling the odd glass or bottle of wine these days.  He travelled extensively to paint gum trees, especially in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, despite the fact that he suffered a fair degree of discrimination due to his German origins during the wars that took place during his lifetime.


His art work is the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Australian National Gallery in 2010, as he was a key player in Australian art - for respresenting the Australian landscape in an immensely popular way.

George Lambert - A Sargeant of the Lighthorse

George Lambert (1873-1930) - A Sargeant of the Lighthorse (1921)
Australia $1 Stamp Issued 1974
National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne

This 1974 stamp was the first Australian stamp to depict a painting.  The series also included paintings by Heysen and Roberts – all stamps were relatively high value for the 1970s, being $1, $2 and $4.

The painting was originally completed in 1920, shortly after WW1.  Light Horsemen were legendary during the war, and this painting was purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria in 1921.

Born in St Petersburg Russia in 1873, George Lambert arrived in Australia in 1887 after some schooling in the UK.  As he was rising as a prominent artist up to 1914, he was commissioned as a war artist during WW1 and went on to complete many more works later in his career.

Tom Roberts - Shearing the Rams

Tom Roberts (1856-1931) - Shearing the Rams (1888)
Australia $4 Stamp Issued 1974
Painting Held at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Tom Roberts is one of the influential group of the Heidelberg School of art, where a distinct style of Australian art was developed at a time when Australia itself was also asserting it's own identity.  This was a time when ideas were being developed on the creation of the nation of Australia - and this eventually took place in 1901, some 12 years after this painting was completed.  Tom Roberts was selected as the official painter for this grand occasion - the creation of the Australian state in 1901.

Roberts paintings depict typical Australian country scenes from the time when he lived.  The sheep and wool industry was one of the greatest drivers of development of the Australian inland, and the industry continues to this day, although it is a lot less important.

Other Tom Roberts paintings that have been used on stamps: 

Opening of the Australian Parliament, 1901

Mentone, 1888