Francisco Goya - The Forge

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) - The Forge (1812)
Fujeira Stamp Issued 1971
Frick Collection New York USA

Goya is considered to be one of the last Great Masters of painting.  He painted this in the latter period of his career when the Spanish were at war with the French during the Peninsula Wa, which went from 1808 to 1814.  Goya is more famous for some of his nude paintings, including the Nude Maja.  He completed another painting which depicted the same model, who was wearing clothes in the second painting.

Diego Velazquez - Old Woman Frying Eggs

Diego Velazquez (1599-1660)  - Old Woman Frying Eggs (1618)
Fujeira Stamp issued 1980
National Gallery of Scotland

This is one of this artists earlier works in his career - a realistic portrayal of a scene that would not normally be painted by artists during this time.  Later in his career, Velazquez would go onto become of the most important artists to Spanisk King Philip IV's royal court, and his works would be influential and coped by future artists such as Picasso and Francis Bacon in the 20th Century.

Another of his paintings has been depicted on a Panama Stamp: The Forge of Vulcan.

Johannes Vermeer - The Lacemaker

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) - The Lacemaker
Fujeira Stamp Issued 1971
The Louvre, Paris France

Vermeer is one of the most famous Dutch genre painters from the 17th Century.  The majority of his works were completed in his two room home in Delft, as the same interiors are shown many times with different middle-class characters who were individual models for his paintings.  He is also known for his exquisite use of light and colour, which involved the use of very expensive and rare pigments.  Another of his works has been captured in a French stamp issue: Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Titian

Venus with a Mirror - Titian

circa 1555 - Fujeira Stamp Issue
National Gallery of Art, Washington