Jean De Bast (Brussels, 1883–1975) is a Belgian postage
stamps draughtsman and engraver.
After a very complete artistic training (drawing, painting, engraving ...), he joined in 1907 the National Postage
Stamps Printing-house in Mechelen. Going up step by step in the hierarchy, he finished there his career in 1945, as a senior foreman.
His first works in philately are, in 1919, the drawing
of the famous series "Helmeted King" and, in 1922, the engraving
of King Albert I's effigy ("Houyoux" type).
In 1926, the Belgian sovereigns realized the artist's value, following the issue
of a stamp for the benefit
of the fight against tuberculosis. In accordance with the wish
of the King, a competition was organized between four Prix de Rome and De Bast, who was the winner. From that time onwards, the direction
of the Postal Services stopped to appeal to foreign artists, and De Bast became its appointed engraver.
While keeping his
office at the Postage
Stamps Printing-house, De Bast worked then as a free engraver, realizing works
of very high quality.
In 1952, he had a disagreement with the direction
of the Postal Services, which had retouched without his agreement the original matrix
of a stamp bearing the effigy
of King Baudouin. The stamp so issued was so mediocre that it received a bad appreciation from the press and was rapidly withdrawn from sale.
Being in bad terms with the Postal Service, De Bast waited for several years before being entrusted again with stamp engraving. He put an end to his engraver's career in 1967, at the age
of 84. In 1964 and 1965, two
of his
stamps received a golden medal in Paris: "Infant Christ with John the Baptist and two angels" (after Peter Paul Rubens) and "The daughters
of the painter Cornelis De Vos".
On the whole, between 1926 and 1967, he engraved more than one hundred postage
stamps, ten or a dozen
stamps for the Railways, and 5 fiscal
stamps for the Ministry
of Finance.
Belgium 1985-Engraved by Paul Huybrechts
Scott 1193
Posted 12/24/2012 2:43 pm
