Hands On Stamps

Depictions of hands are among the very earliest works of art and they have been found the world over. They were most often done in the stencil technique. Most date back to 30-40,000 years ago!

Here is an image of an engraved stamp depicting clasped hands and arrows, issued by Netherlands on January 23, 1979 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Union of Utrecht, the treaty unifying the northern provinces of the Netherlands, Scott No. 584.

- nethryk

These hand stencils were found in the Spanish cave at Altamira. The animals depicted there are simply spectacular.



I forgot to mention above (13th of Nov.) that the stamp is from Somalia and the photo from Argentina.

Hands holding a chain link, printed by lithography, and issued by Iran on December 6, 1967 to publicize International Cooperation Year, Scott No. 1460.

- nethryk

This gesture of the hand is instantly understood: stop! Issued to increase awareness of the dangers of drugs to children. FDC, Monaco, 1973. (Hi Nethryk, that's an interesting Iranian link, do you know if it has some symbolic meaning?)

Kris Rascher - Here is one possible explanation for the symbolism of the circular chain link depicted in the design of the Iran stamp posted above: It may be related to Faravahar, the Winged Symbol of Zoroastrianism (see image below), in which a partly human figure emerges from a disk. With his right hand, Faravahar is giving the "Ancient Persian Aryan Salute," and with his left hand he is handing the "Ring of Power" to the Persian Shahanshahs ("King of Kings").

- nethryk

Hand on automobile steering wheel, roadway and map, printed by photogravure, and issued by New Zealand on May 1, 1964 to promote "Keep Our Roads Safe," Scott No. 365.

- nethryk

Hi, Nethryk, Thanks for that extra information! Amazing how old symbolism may appear again. My contribution today is another "warding-off" gesture. The 6 and the 8 pfennig stamps are part of an early set (1950) from East Germany (their first stamps are from 1949). The slogan says "Fight for Freedom". The 12 pfennig stamp appeared again in 1964, for the philatelic exhibition. It took a long time to fulfill that slogan.

Kris Rascher - You're welcome. My understanding is that the Faravahar is associated with Iran's imperial regime, prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Here is an image of the fourth stamp from the 1950s set Kris Rascher posted immediately above, depicting a hand shielding a peace dove from a military cemetery, designed by German graphic artist Gerhard Martens, printed by lithography, and issued by East Germany (DDR) on December 15, 1950, Scott No. 74, Michel No. 279.

- nethryk

Hi Nethryk, Thanks for that fourth stamp of the set and the info to go with it, which I didn't have. This stamp from Upper Volta, in the Sahel zone at the border to the Sahara, shows that sand dunes (desertification) can only be stopped by planting trees. A great design for promoting the "Operation Green Sahel" by J. Combelt, 1980.

Kris Rascher - You're welcome! Also, I believe the designer of your interesting Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) stamp posted above was French artist and engraver Jacques Combet.

Here is an image of a stamp depicting a hand on an open book, printed by photogravure, and issued by Egypt (UAR) on July 10, 1962 to publicize the Proclamation of the National Charter, which set out the Arab Socialist Union's agenda of nationalization, agrarian reform, and constitutional reform for Egypt, Scott No. 555.

- nethryk

The Engishman John Wilkins was the first to propose a universal measure in 1668. The French Academy of Sciences advised the use of the decimal system (1790) and so the Meter (metre, measure) was born. The Danish Stamp marks the 100th anniversary of its international use. (It's fun reading up on the complicated history of precisely how the length of the meter was determined.)



(Hi Nethryk, Thanks for improving on my most recent post! K.)

The hand as an approximate measure: Whenever a hand is seen in a picture, we have a pretty good idea of how large other parts of the picture are. The chick of the Eurasian coot (Fulica atra) is small but has a remarkably colorful head. West Germany, "Protect our Animals", 1981.