Collecting By Engraver

Hi Galeoptix/Rein


Those are interesting points you raise regarding etching but
I'm not 100% clear on a couple of things.

For instance on the Luxembourg stamp (Scott 537, Michel 867) that you've shown
to me it appears that the blue portions are engraved more or less
in the normal way whereas the sepia lettering does have
a kind of photogravure screen type of appearance
BTW both catalogues state that this stamp was printed engraved.

Why and how would two different methods of engraving/etching be used on the same stamp especially since
both colours where printed on one pass through the Giori press ?

As far as etching on stamps is concerned, the Austrian State Printer
started using a new print technique a few years ago which they call
Etch-Art where by means of laser technology the designer does
the enraving/etching. No more engravers need apply.

See here from a previous thread.
https://goscf.com/t/28830&SearchTer...ian,etch,art

Rein, any comments re this Etch-Art?

Thanks canadian for that info about the engraver Phil Hall and
those pics of him at work on one of his creations.
Absolutely great stuff for us who love the fine art of engraved
stamps.

I see they are numbered 34 and 35. Do you have any more to show?

Lithograving,

I will not comment on this Austrian process as I have not seen any examples myself.

I wrote a column on the 2006 Rembrandt stamp then and that evoked a reaction from the JESSP printers. I went to their printing house and was shown a banknote of which the recess plate was partly engraved and partly etched! They asked me to tell them which part was etched!

The Luxemburg stamps are etched and the printer has methods of emphasizing the parts that can have an obvious screen but also can almost hide any appearance of a screen where they do not want it! Especially where lines are supposed to be straight! The Giori process implies that only ONE plate was involved!

groetjes, Rein

P.S.

I will get back to the Dutch examples!

There is also a Japanese printing method that combines the looks of engraving and the screen of photogravure! I was pointed out to that in 1993 by a Japanese stamp printing expert. I should find his letter now and the stamps that go along with this...

groetjes, Rein

Galeoptix/Rein quote




Well actually there was also Karl Wolf who engraved Michel 941 and 942 German Reich (Allied Occupation) 1947 Leipzig Spring Fair.
Interestingly 2 printers were used. Giesecke & Devrient in Leipzig using copper plates and the Reichsdruckerei, Berlin using steel recess.





Wolf was born in 1894 in the village of Chudenitz, province of Bohemia which was then part of the Austrian Empire
and is now Chudenice, Czech Republic.
Karl Wolf's engraving career began in 1947 and between 1949 till 1963 he engraved a few stamps for the German Democratic Republic (DDR) including this one of the infamous East German leader, Walter Ulbricht. He was also responsible for the design of the stamp.

DDR Michel 968



Karl Wolf died 1966 in the Workers Paradise called East Germany in the city of Leipzig.

Lithgraving, You are sharp eyed no doubt; the other photographs are not all related to the subject matter on this forum; when need arises, I will upload a few more from other collections relating to engravers.

nethryk's scan of Ceylon Scott# 281 & 284 are nothing but miniature works of art; color combinations are striking. Thanks for scanning these.

Austria issued this semipostal/charity set in 1951 to emphasize
the post World War II Reconstruction taking place throughout
the country.

Four different engravers took part in producing this set.
In my mind these years (late forties to early fifties) were the
high point of Austrian engraved stamps.

Designer : Ernst Schrom (1902–1969)

Engravers : 40+10g Rupert Franke (1888–1971), 60+15g Friedrich Teubel (1884 - 1965),
1S+25g Hans Ranzoni the younger (1896–1991), 1S70+40g Hubert Woyty-Wimmer (1901 -1972 )

Scott Austria B273 - B276 1951

MINING



HOUSING CONSTRUCTION




BRIDGE REBUILDING



TELEGRAPH INSTALLATION

Rein - Re-examining my Netherlands and Luxembourg line-engraved stamps printed at Enschedé I did, indeed, detect some suggestions, especially in their simple frames and hollow lettering, of what the Michel catalogue calls Sägezahneffect (saw-tooth effect, the mark of screen printing technique) but never so pronounced as with your Luxembourg S.G. 507.

Now your further comments explain everything. Of course, we have to be aware of the usual trade secrets.

Did Enschedé use a Goebel press for their line-engraved stamps?

Unfortunately, I have never seen images at sharp resolutions of such stamps as Netherlands S.G. C656-C660, C708-C712, 801, C826-C830, 1096 or Luxembourg S.G. C533-C534, 571, 637-639, 661, 696.

Line-engraved stamps actually fall into different categories depending on the type of press used in their production (and even on their printers' expertise).

Sometimes we compare the incomparable. See the differences among line-engraved stamps produced, say, in Austria, Britain, Czech Republic and France to name but a few of the various products each with assets of their own to their producer.

What compact beauty in its own right can be discovered in some exquisitely designed and ingeniously line-engraved stamps not losing anything of their delicate impact when magnified to the scale which they were conceived in despite the fact that the sure, sensitive hand of the master engraver engraved the die in the actual size of the stamp.

Just have a look at some recent Czech Republic line-engraved stamps printed lege artis from flat plates on Waite & Saville diestamp print presses. They interpret, not merely reproduce, paintings and are shown on http://www.wnsstamps.post/en


Alfred Sisley "Canal Lock in Moret", 1882


Alfred Justitz "An Alley", 1924


Milos Jiranek "Sand Bargemen", 1910


Karel Spillar "Spring", 1912


Joza Uprka "Woman in Maize Field", 1910


Kamil Lhotak "Girl with Long Hair", 1951

65170 - Glenn, let me draw your attention to a certain resemblance in the treatment of the skies background between Belgian Congo S.G. 180-195 (as well as, possibly, Ruanda-Urundi S.G. 77a-92, which, however, I have not seen except in catalogues) engraved anonymously at l'Institute de Gravure, Paris and your die proof.

Could the latter have been a case of an Institute de Gravure engraver offering his services to the Reichsdruckerei?

Beautiful stamps, floria.

I love Paintings on Stamps!

I agree Florian.
Technically they may not be the best but they work really well stylistically.
It great to see some attractive recent issues.

Florian , I totally agree with you there.
I haven't seen copies of the originals from these Czech Republic paintings so I can't really compare but maybe the engravings look even better than the actual paintings.
All six stamps Czech stamps shown above have such a bright, airy look about them which I find really pleasing to the eye.
The fine art of engraving is still alive and well in the Czech Republic.

I would like to show a few stamps by the great master engraver Jindra Schmidt. (1897 - 1984)

He frequently collaborated with Max Švabinský(1973-1962) painter, graphic artist, stamp designer etc , who designed his first stamp back in 1920.

The one below was issued in 1958 for the 40th Anniversary of the first Czechoslovakian postage stamp

Scott 896 Michel 1115




These two are part of a set of three and were issued for the 10th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Scott 905, 906 Michel 1124, 1125

I believe Jindra Schmidt's greatest forte was in engraving portraits.

His faces express so much and its all done with a few lines.

Below are some from the 1959 set honoring famous Czechoslovakian
personalities.

Scott 921



Scott 923



Scott 925




Scott 926

Thank you, KirkS, AnthonyUK, lithograving and every admirer of the beautiful posting their images on this thread.