Special 109 Ancient Chinese Painting (D109)

Stamp SN : D109
Stamp Name : Special 109 Ancient Chinese Painting
Stamp Cat Standard : Special Stamps
Stamp Cat : Lunar New Year,Mammals,Calligraphy & Paintings
Issue date : 1975-02-25
Dimension of stamps(mm.) : 51.7×36
Printer : Courvoiser S.A., Switzerland
Sheet composition : S109.1-109.5 5×10 S109.6-109.8 5×10
Process : Photogravure
Paper : Photogravure stamp paper
Perforation : 11 1/2
Photographer : Liu Pao-chin

For the promotion of the Chinese Cultural Renaissance Movemont, a set of 〝Ancient Chinese Painting (Festivals for the New Year) Postage Stamps〞was issued. This brilliant Chinese handscroll, 235.5 × 30.5 cm., in the collection of the National Palace Museum, was painted by Ting Kuan`peng in color on silk. Along a country road a crowd gathers and engages in many kinds of activity. Attention is given in minute detail to the figures, rocks, and trees; the colors are fresh and sparkling. The bustling activity of the scene comes to life before the eyes of the viewer. It is not known exactly when Ting Kuan-peng lived, but during the Chien-lung period (1736-1795 A.D.) he received an appointment to the palace as a court artist. He was an excellent painter of Taoist and Buddhist figures, copying the style of the late Ming painter, Ting Yun-peng. In his later years he also used the techniques of western perspective and shading, creating an illusion of three-dimensionality which was quite original. For this reason he has been praised as one of the great masters of Chinese painting. These eight stamps consist of a strip of five1.00 stamps reproducing the overall picture, and three close-up views： a 2.50 stamp showing relatives and friends cupping one hand over the other as a New Year's greeting during a ceremonial call, a 5.00 stamp featuring children playing and buying fireworks, and 8.00 stamp depicting an acrobatic performance and a monkey show.