Series 4 new zealand philatelic bulletin no 22 1979 october

Page 1

Philatelic Bulletin New Zealand

~t.=

October 1979 issue 22

....

Festooned with scarlet blossoms at the height of the southern summer each Christmas. the native Pohutukawa is popularly known as the New Zealand Christmas tree. To celebrate the festive season this year,

the Post Office releases three Christmas stamps on October 3, and from the colourful 35c stamp in this issue, glows a Pohutukawa in bloom. The Pohutukawa (Merrosideros exce/sa) is a common sight along North Island coasts and in northern forests, and is

cultivated in many other parts of the One massive specimen growing at Te Araroa is known to be over 300 years old; its girth at ground level is almost 18 metres, it reaches to over 22 metres in height and has a branch canopy of 37 metres. On the second stamp, which bears a 25c

country.

denomination, is a graphic illustration of

New Zealand's oldest surviving church. This is Christ Church, in the northern town of Russell. It was built under missionary influence in 1835, which was before British rule. The town was then known as Kororareka, and was the largest

european settlement in the colony, notorious for its "grog shops". Early congregations apparently were not large. The church survived the sacIcing of 1845, during the war with Hone Heke, although fierce fighting took place only a few metres away.

The Madonna and Child depicted on the IOc stamp in the Christmas issue is a bronze sculpture by the 15 th century master, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455). This leader of the Florentine Renaissance was trained as a goldsmith in his youth, and studied ancient art as a Humanist

sCholar. His work reflects both these interests. Encyclopedia Britannica describes the characteristks of an early work

that brought him fame and valuable public commissions, in terms that might describe the sculpture shown on the stamp: "a graceful and lively composition executed with a mastery of the goldsmith's art that makes each superbly finished detail a pleasure to contemplate." The original sculpture is held in the Samuel H. Kress Collection in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.e., D.S.A. The graphic work on all three stamps was completed by Don Hatcher of Auckland, who also designed the 25c stamp. The subjects chosen for this issue follow a pattern begun in 1978 with three Christmas stamps featuring respectively an Old Master, an historic church and a scene characteristic of the Southem Hemispher~ Christmas.

, I

X


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.