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Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
The stamps is Czechoslovakia 2252 (Scott)
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The stamp comes with a label on the bottom. The set was issued to commemorate several things, including the International Year of the Child and children's book illustrations. Here is a link to Stampworld where you can see the entire set with labels:
https://www.stampworld.com/stamps/Czechoslovakia/Postage-stamps/g2514/
It doesn't help with finding out what the children's story is, but maybe the label can help too.
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Found this page that describes the illustration as mermaids and the devil.
https://www.123rf.com/photo_17465809_vintage-czech-postage-stamp-shows-artwork-by-karel-svolinsky-of-mermaids-and-the-devil-circa-1979-.html
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Michael,
Thanks for that link. I didn't know there was a label attached to the mint stamp.
Sheepshanks,
That (or a similar link) is how I assumed it was mermaids and the devil.
But what is the underlying tale?
Lars
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Here is an image of the stamp with label.
Found it here, where it appears for sale.
http://www.priceminister.com/offer/buy/222621320/
Not that any of this helps! There are a lot of images on Pinterest but I do not have an account so cannot view them. I'm reluctant to "join".
I imagine that it is an illustration for a folk tale book but have been unable to ascertain which.
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It may have something to do with the Czech story of Rusalka, which Dvorak set into an opera. Rusalka was a water sprite who falls in love with a human prince. The story doesn't end well (as Bugs Bunny would say, "Well, what did you expect in an opera - a happy ending?"), and rusalki were looked upon as harbingers of death and evil in Czech folklore - some link with the devil there?
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"It may have something to do with the Czech story of Rusalka, which Dvorak set into an opera. Rusalka was a water sprite who falls in love with a human prince. The story doesn't end well (as Bugs Bunny would say, "Well, what did you expect in an opera - a happy ending?"), and rusalki were looked upon as harbingers of death and evil in Czech folklore - some link with the devil there?"
Maybe, but the cast of Rusalka is rather limited and no mention of a devil figure. Rusalka follows the line of The Little Mermaid. (The Hans Christian Andersen version, not the sugar-coated Disney version).
The best match I've found so far is the East Slavic epic Sadko. There is an illustration by Ilya Repin:
Like the Czech stamp, there is one "devil", one merman, and several mermaids, but that's still a bit thin. I can go with that, but would prefer a more definitive answer. The label on the stamp also seems to contradict Sadko. I have reviewed dozens of Czech and Slavic legends and fairy tales with no better answer. I must say, however, if you've never read Katcha and the Devil, it's worth a read:
http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=fillmore&book=czech&story=katcha
Lars
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Karel Svolinsky illustrated many books but this one sounds as though it could be the source for this picture:
Ceské legendy (Czech legends) by Jirí Horák published in Prague in 1950
where the C of Ceské and the r of Jirí should have hachek (v-shaped) accents.
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"... (as Bugs Bunny would say, "Well, what did you expect in an opera - a happy ending?") ..."
Bug Bunny it is, but I would have attributed that to Groucho Marx.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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"Karel Svolinsky illustrated many books but this one sounds as though it could be the source for this picture:
Ceské legendy (Czech legends) by Jirí Horák published in Prague in 1950"
Sounds promising. I wish I could find an index in English, or better yet a synopsis of each story in the collection.
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According to Michel catalog the illustration is of Kamil Bednar's fairytale "O Faustovi, Marketce a dablu" (Faust, Margaret and Devil) released in 1943.
Here's a page showing some illustration from the book: https://www.sbazar.cz/K.Jirous0/detail/23289901-o-faustovi-marketce-a-dablovi-bednar-kamil
-k-
PS. Sorry for missing apostrephes in author name & book title. The code behind SOR doesn't seem to like them...
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Thank you, scb.
I believe you have found the answer. That also answers the question as to whether I needed to get a stamp with the tab attached. Since the tab appears to be Margaret and she wasn't a mermaid, no tab needed!
Thanks!
Lars
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I have a mermaid stamp that I thought I would be able to find context for, but I come up empty. The stamp honors Czech illustrator Karel Svolinsky and appears to feature mermaids and the devil. I assume there is a story in the Eastern European culture that features a devil and mermaids, but I can't find it. Does anyone know?
The stamps is Czechoslovakia 2252 (Scott)
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09:46:11pm
re: Another mermaid stamp without context
The stamp comes with a label on the bottom. The set was issued to commemorate several things, including the International Year of the Child and children's book illustrations. Here is a link to Stampworld where you can see the entire set with labels:
https://www.stampworld.com/stamps/Czechoslovakia/Postage-stamps/g2514/
It doesn't help with finding out what the children's story is, but maybe the label can help too.
Login to Like
this post
re: Another mermaid stamp without context
Found this page that describes the illustration as mermaids and the devil.
https://www.123rf.com/photo_17465809_vintage-czech-postage-stamp-shows-artwork-by-karel-svolinsky-of-mermaids-and-the-devil-circa-1979-.html
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re: Another mermaid stamp without context
Michael,
Thanks for that link. I didn't know there was a label attached to the mint stamp.
Sheepshanks,
That (or a similar link) is how I assumed it was mermaids and the devil.
But what is the underlying tale?
Lars
Login to Like
this post
re: Another mermaid stamp without context
Here is an image of the stamp with label.
Found it here, where it appears for sale.
http://www.priceminister.com/offer/buy/222621320/
Not that any of this helps! There are a lot of images on Pinterest but I do not have an account so cannot view them. I'm reluctant to "join".
I imagine that it is an illustration for a folk tale book but have been unable to ascertain which.
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likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Another mermaid stamp without context
It may have something to do with the Czech story of Rusalka, which Dvorak set into an opera. Rusalka was a water sprite who falls in love with a human prince. The story doesn't end well (as Bugs Bunny would say, "Well, what did you expect in an opera - a happy ending?"), and rusalki were looked upon as harbingers of death and evil in Czech folklore - some link with the devil there?
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re: Another mermaid stamp without context
"It may have something to do with the Czech story of Rusalka, which Dvorak set into an opera. Rusalka was a water sprite who falls in love with a human prince. The story doesn't end well (as Bugs Bunny would say, "Well, what did you expect in an opera - a happy ending?"), and rusalki were looked upon as harbingers of death and evil in Czech folklore - some link with the devil there?"
Maybe, but the cast of Rusalka is rather limited and no mention of a devil figure. Rusalka follows the line of The Little Mermaid. (The Hans Christian Andersen version, not the sugar-coated Disney version).
The best match I've found so far is the East Slavic epic Sadko. There is an illustration by Ilya Repin:
Like the Czech stamp, there is one "devil", one merman, and several mermaids, but that's still a bit thin. I can go with that, but would prefer a more definitive answer. The label on the stamp also seems to contradict Sadko. I have reviewed dozens of Czech and Slavic legends and fairy tales with no better answer. I must say, however, if you've never read Katcha and the Devil, it's worth a read:
http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=fillmore&book=czech&story=katcha
Lars
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this post
re: Another mermaid stamp without context
Karel Svolinsky illustrated many books but this one sounds as though it could be the source for this picture:
Ceské legendy (Czech legends) by Jirí Horák published in Prague in 1950
where the C of Ceské and the r of Jirí should have hachek (v-shaped) accents.
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re: Another mermaid stamp without context
"... (as Bugs Bunny would say, "Well, what did you expect in an opera - a happy ending?") ..."
Bug Bunny it is, but I would have attributed that to Groucho Marx.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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re: Another mermaid stamp without context
"Karel Svolinsky illustrated many books but this one sounds as though it could be the source for this picture:
Ceské legendy (Czech legends) by Jirí Horák published in Prague in 1950"
Sounds promising. I wish I could find an index in English, or better yet a synopsis of each story in the collection.
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re: Another mermaid stamp without context
According to Michel catalog the illustration is of Kamil Bednar's fairytale "O Faustovi, Marketce a dablu" (Faust, Margaret and Devil) released in 1943.
Here's a page showing some illustration from the book: https://www.sbazar.cz/K.Jirous0/detail/23289901-o-faustovi-marketce-a-dablovi-bednar-kamil
-k-
PS. Sorry for missing apostrephes in author name & book title. The code behind SOR doesn't seem to like them...
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re: Another mermaid stamp without context
Thank you, scb.
I believe you have found the answer. That also answers the question as to whether I needed to get a stamp with the tab attached. Since the tab appears to be Margaret and she wasn't a mermaid, no tab needed!
Thanks!
Lars
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