lace and laughter

making lace in Malta
 

reading and laughing in Finland

czech

I am quite intrigued by the engraved and illustrated stamps from Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic (Czechia) and have not yet seen a stamp that was a photograph.

I haven't gotten enough Slovakian stamps to see if they have continued this tradition, but looking online, I think they have.

from 1955

jewellery

glassware

and from 2003, these aquarium fish which I believe are angel fish

glass

In 1999, this magnificent selection from the Corning Museum of Glass was issued

Free blown, mold blown, pressed, and art glass

From 1967, a view of part of Marc Chagall's Peace Window in the UN building, NY.  The full piece is 15' x 12' (which is larger than my living room)

blue and red

Peonies on a plate from Japan

 

Peonies, and Chrysanthemums, on a Chinese satin jacket (Qing Dynasty)

embroidery from Ukraine

folk dolls from Ukraine

some crafts and textiles for our lsdy art theme of Thursday Postcard Hunt

blue

I love the way the light filters through coloured glass and this is a particularly lovely shade of blue

birchbark

 

the top stamp shows an Ojibwa birchbark basket; an Ojibwa wooden papoose carrier; a pair of snowshoes for a Montagnais child; a Maliseet birchbark basket; a Montagnais birchbark box; a Montagnais knife; and a Micmac birchbark basket decorated with porcupine quillwork.

cloisonne

 

Cloisonne enamelware has been used since ancient times. It involves attaching thin metal strips (often gold or copper) on a metal object creating compartments where a coloured enamel powder made into a paste is added and then fired in a kiln.

some fine blue enamelware for Sunday Stamps

International Workers' Day

 From the traditional arts series, a bookbinder

and this fun series from Brazil which included a carpenter and a dressmaker

 

people at work for Sunday Stamps

crowns

I thought wearing a crown might be heavy and awkward, but this basket maker has a much more awkward physical load on his head! From 1953.

It seems my poor 12 year old computer needs upgrades for photo editing. I hope to have this sorted by next Sunday. It will be a weight of my head and shoulders...

For Sunday Stamps - country names no longer existing

Timekeeper

This is John Harrison's 1759 chronometer, a clock which calculated longitude while at sea. It took him over 30 years of trial and error to perfect the technology. The watch itself is 13cm in diameter and you can see it for yourself at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

 

for Sunday Stamps - your choice

arts and crafts

For wood lovers, this Yoruba man is carving a calabash, an essential multi use bowl for storing and carrying water and food. Oyo is a state in south western Nigeria.
 

Or maybe you'd prefer something less useful but that would look really nice displayed on a glass shelf like this delicate early 15th C porcelain container from China.

 

For Sunday Stamps - arts and crafts

blue

Delft tiles of canal houses

tiles

Sunday Stamps - F

2018    France    Métiers d'art
designer: Florence Gendre
engraving: Pierre Albuisson

Another in France's series of stamps devoted to crafts, this one celebrating leather goods (maroquinier).

For the letter F - France

Sunday Stamps - B

2012, Belarus, definitive
Belarusian ornament
artist: Yauheniya Biadonik

The M is equal to the tariff for an international postcard. 

The design is of an embroidered ornamental pattern.

for the letter B - Belarus

Sunday Stamps - 'J'

2007,  US - Navajo Jewelry
illustrated by Lou Nolan from a painting by Peter Furst

A silver and turquoise squash blossom necklace with Naja pendant. The Naja is an inverted crescent believed to be based on colonial Spanish bridle designs that were in turn based on Moorish crescent design. For the Navajo it is decorative rather than spiritual yet is still held in high esteem. The squash blossom is based on a Spanish-Mexican ornament that was a stylized pomegranate blossom. The necklace shown on this stamp was made in the 1940s.

for the letter J - jewellery (or, if you prefer, 'jewelry')

Sunday Stamps - D

2014,       Netherlands, Ceramics of The Netherlands

This 1700s vase was featured as part of a 5 series of stamps for Mooi Nederland (Beautiful Netherlands).

Delftware is a tin-glazed earthenware (also called faience and majolica). The opaque glaze is added to the fired piece and then fired a second time. The potting industry in Delft began after the brewers left the town with several abandoned buildings and polluted canal water. Around the same time war in China put an end to the making of their blue and white porcelain and Delft deftly picked up the trade.

for the letter D - Delft

Sunday Stamps II - 159

1989, USSR, Samovar

The first samovar factory was founded in Tula by gunmakers moving in a new direction, in 1778. By the mid 1800s, the town had 70 samovar manufacturers. The peak period for production was in the 1880s and Tula became synonymous with samovars. 

for the letter U - USSR

Sunday Stamps II - 66

1973 issue for New Year, bronze lantern

This bronze lantern was unearthed in 1910 on the grounds of the Chiba Temple. An inscription on the top indicates it was cast in 1550. The hexagonal lantern has alternating patterns of bamboo and plum panels on the central cylinder with one panel serving as a door. Apart from this door, the whole lantern was cast of one piece. It stands 11 3/4" and can now be seen in the Tokyo National Museum.

for the colour green

Sunday Stamps II - 1

Sunday Stamps the second edition begins now, 

just in time for Christmas - or the rarer Hanukkah - stamps
next week, we'll continue the theme (in a way) with toys
Looking forward to seeing your selections 

 

these stamps from the Netherlands remind me of when I used to do my own cross-stitch embroidery