Tea at Trianon: Arthurian Stamps from Royal Mail

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Arthurian Stamps from Royal Mail

From East of the Sun, West of the Moon. More from Linn's Stamp News:

New stamps of Great Britain illustrate scenes from the legend of King Arthur. Royal Mail issued this set of 10 stamps March 16.

Royal Mail said: “The Legend of King Arthur is one of the most enduring stories of all time. Though his tale is rooted in the fifth and sixth centuries, it has captivated people for a millennium and a half, with its sword in the stone, knights of the round table and the wizard Merlin. At least 50 films and hundreds of novels have been produced about the story, which over centuries has come to symbolise part of British identity.”

The first written account of Arthur dates back to the ninth century. According to an article by Chantry Westwell on the website of the British Library: “The earliest written account of King Arthur as a historical figure is the Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons), a history of the British people. The history was assembled from a variety of sources in 829 or 830, by a cleric sometimes known as Nennius, probably under the patronage of the king of Gwynedd (r. 825–844).”

Later accounts, especially Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (A History of the Kings of Britain) in the 12th century provided more details. Westwell said, “This work, together with his Vita Merlini (Life of Merlin) gives the first detailed account of Arthur’s education by Merlin, the sword in the stone, his death on Salisbury plain and his final resting place at Avalon.”

Since then, the tales of King Arthur and his famed knights have been told and retold through countless works of art, music, literature and more.

Even previous Great Britain stamps celebrate the legend, including a set of four issued Sept. 3, 1985 (Scott 1115-1118), to mark the 500th anniversary of William Caxton’s edition of Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, and two stamps in the March 8, 2011, Magical Realms set of eight (2879, 2880).

Great Britain’s new the Legend of King Arthur stamps feature original illustrations by concept artist Jaime Jones.

Royal Mail spokesman Philip Parker said: “These atmospheric illustrations bring to life the timeless stories of the King and the Knights of the Round Table. With its themes of magic, chivalry and quests, the enduring legend of King Arthur has entranced for centuries and will continue to do so.”

The stamps are in two strips of five se-tenant (side-by-side) stamps each, beginning with the birth of Arthur on the first stamp in the strip of nondenominated first-class stamps and ending with his death on the last stamp in the strip of £1.70 stamps. (Read more.)