1980 Christmas
| | Cat. |
Mint Unhinged |
Fine Used |
10c |
"Madonna and Child with Cherubim" by Andrea della Robbia |
239a |
$0.45 |
|
$0.45 |
|
25c |
St Mary's Church, New Plymouth |
239b |
$0.55 |
|
$0.55 |
|
35c |
Rural Summer Picnic Scene |
239c |
$0.80 |
|
$0.80 |
|
| |
|
Set of 3 individual stamps |
239d |
$1.70 |
|
$1.70 |
|
| |
|
First Day Cover - 1 October 1980 |
239e |
|
|
$4.50 |
|
| ... 10c (239a), 25c (239b), 35c (239c) |
The Christmas 1980 issue has three stamps.
The 10 cent stamp
features the "Madonna and Child with Cherubim" by Andrea della
Robbia (1435 - 1525) - a terra-cotta sculpture covered with enamel glaze
using a technique developed in the 1430s and 1440s by his uncle Luca. The
glazed coating gives the colours of della Robbia's works a degree of
durability impossible for sculpture that was simply painted. The sculpture
is part of the Andrew W. Mellon Collection at the National Gallery of Art
in Washington DC.
The 25 cent stamp features a drawing of Saint
Mary's Church, New Plymouth - the oldest stone church in New Zealand.
Construction began in March 1845 and the church opened for worship in
September 1846. The Land Wars of the 1860s strongly affected the Parish and
tombstones and memorials in the church bear witness to the conflicts
between settlers and local Maori at that time.
The 35 cent stamp
illustrates a couple having a Christmas Day picnic in the height of summer.
The Southern Hemisphere's summer at Christmas time has led to radically
different traditions from their Northern Hemisphere counterparts.
Bibliography
The Postage Stamps of New Zealand Volume VIII |
Edited by B. G. Vincent FRPSNZ |
Published 1998 by The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand Incorporated (ISSN 0-9597883-1-X) |
Pages 323 - 324, 342 - 343 |
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This page was last updated on 17 Aug 2022
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