2013 Greeting Stamps-Chinese Ancient Art Treasures. Formosa(Taiwan), Rep of China.
First day of issued:November 22, 2013.
A set of 6+4 se-tenant stamps featuring artifacts from the National Palace Museum collection.
The designs follow:
1. Bowl with orchid and rocks in yellow ground of falangcai painted enamels, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign 1723-1735 (NT$5): This exquisite bowl has a very smooth and fine white body. The white glaze of the interior of the bowl is very clear and glossy. The exterior of the bowl is painted with yellow enamel and decorated with reishi mushrooms, orchids, red fruit, and rocks.
2. Washer with two-fish design in relief, Longquan ware, Southern Song to Yuan dynasties, 13th-14th century (NT$5): This shallow washer has a flat everted rim and a ring foot. The exterior of the washer is stamped with a wide lotus petal design and features raised central ridges. The interior of the washer features a pair of fish in relief. The washer is covered in a soft yet rich green glaze.
3. Lidder jar with dragon in doucai polychrome, Ming dynasty, Chenghua reign 1465-1487 (NT$5): The design of the jar is outlined in underglaze blue and filled in with overglaze red, green, and yellow enamels. The lid is decorated with a green dragon. The body of the jar is painted with two dragons. The base is marked with a tian (天) character, which means sky.
4. Pillow in the shape of a recumbent child with white glaze, Ding ware, 11th-12th century (NT$5): This pillow is shaped like a little boy lying face down on a mattress, with head laying on his crossed and bent arms. The low and flat back of the child serves as the place where a head will lie on the pillow. The pillow may symbolize a prayer for many sons. The bottom is inscribed with a poem by Emperor Qianlong.
5. Fish-creature flower holder, Ming dynasty (NT$5): The flower holder is made to resemble a fish that is struggling to leap out of water with its tail curled upward. The fish’s head has bulging eyes, long whiskers, a prominent nose, and two horns, indicating that it is in the process of transforming into a dragon. The vessel symbolizes “a fish leaping through the dragon’s gate,” a popular Chinese idiom that indicates a successful effort.
6. Covered box with floral decoration in purple ground and fencai enamels, Qing dynasty, Guangxu reign, 1874-1908 (NT$5): Porcelains with the Da-ya Studio Mark were produced specifically for the Empress Dowager Cixi. This box follows the use of Falangcai colors from the golden age of the Qing Dynasty, except that it boldly uses purple as the ground.
7. Jadeite cabbage with insects, Qing dynasty (NT$12): This piece makes clever use of the jade’s original colors by carving the green part of the jade into the cabbage leaves and the white part into the stalk. There is one katydid and one locust on the leaves. The white stalk of the cabbage symbolizes purity and the insects on the leaves symbolize fertility.
8. Lotus-shaped warming bowl in light bluish-green glaze, Ru ware, late 11th - early 12th century (NT$12): This bowl is shaped to resemble a lotus flower with ten petals. The side of the bowl is gently curved with a subtly flaring rim. The transition from one petal lobe to the next is very smooth. The bowl is entirely covered with glaze and fired on spurs.
9. Meat-shaped stone, Qing dynasty (NT$12): Agate is characterized by its different color layers that result from long-term exposure to the elements. The creator of this piece made use of this special characteristic of the stone and turned it into a chunk of delicious stewed pork with clear layers of skin, fat, and lean meat, completed with vivid pores on the skin.
10. Mao-gong Ding, late Western Zhou dynasty (NT$12): Mao-gong Ding is a Chinese ritual copper vessel from some 2,800 years ago. The interior of the vessel has a 500-character inscription, which serves as precious documentation for historical research about the Western Zhou.
The photo is only an example.
Mint & never hinged(mnh).
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