Yesterday we got the announcement on the Stamp Magazine forum that the Belgian engraver Charles Leclercqz had died, late last year. I therefore thought it would be a good idea to feature his work today. Starting off with what is probably his best known stamp, the engraving for the 1970s Belgian definitives portraying King Baudouin.
And that's where I got stuck. I've been trying to find out anything about this engraver but don't get any hits at all with any information. All I know is that he probably started engraving stamps for Belgium in the mid 1950s. My first entry for him is the 1956 Blood donors issue, which is a beauty, but I don't have it, so I can't show it to you. My first Leclercqz stamp is this one from the 1962 Cultural and Patriotic Funds set:
My final entry for him is the 1991"19th century sculpture" set. In between, he has done some 70 different sets or stamps in sets. I quite like this one from the 1997 Tourism set, depicting the Bailiff's house in Gembloux. A very straightforward engraving but very effective.
But my all-time favourite comes from 1965, from a set portraying various Belgian painters. Leclercqz engraved the portait of Rubens and I think it's an absolute gem!
I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you anything more about the man, even though he has left behind quite a portfolio of work. Maybe some of you know more about him? If so, I'd love to hear from you!
:-)
Adrian
UPDATE:
I received an email from Glenn yesterday, saying his favourite Leclercqz stamp was this 1971 'Philately for the Young issue:
The engraving is based on Lobrichon's 'La boîte aux lettres'.
It's a lovely stamp indeed. Glenn liked it because it combined his two philatelic interests: engravings and letter boxes. Which reminded me of our upcoming stamp competition at our local club next season: four pages on the letter L. I'll see if I can get together four pages of engraved stamps with letter boxes on, that would be good. If I succeed, I'll show them here, but it's not 'til April, so don't hold your breath!
:-)
Adrian
And that's where I got stuck. I've been trying to find out anything about this engraver but don't get any hits at all with any information. All I know is that he probably started engraving stamps for Belgium in the mid 1950s. My first entry for him is the 1956 Blood donors issue, which is a beauty, but I don't have it, so I can't show it to you. My first Leclercqz stamp is this one from the 1962 Cultural and Patriotic Funds set:
My final entry for him is the 1991"19th century sculpture" set. In between, he has done some 70 different sets or stamps in sets. I quite like this one from the 1997 Tourism set, depicting the Bailiff's house in Gembloux. A very straightforward engraving but very effective.
But my all-time favourite comes from 1965, from a set portraying various Belgian painters. Leclercqz engraved the portait of Rubens and I think it's an absolute gem!
I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you anything more about the man, even though he has left behind quite a portfolio of work. Maybe some of you know more about him? If so, I'd love to hear from you!
:-)
Adrian
UPDATE:
I received an email from Glenn yesterday, saying his favourite Leclercqz stamp was this 1971 'Philately for the Young issue:
The engraving is based on Lobrichon's 'La boîte aux lettres'.
It's a lovely stamp indeed. Glenn liked it because it combined his two philatelic interests: engravings and letter boxes. Which reminded me of our upcoming stamp competition at our local club next season: four pages on the letter L. I'll see if I can get together four pages of engraved stamps with letter boxes on, that would be good. If I succeed, I'll show them here, but it's not 'til April, so don't hold your breath!
:-)
Adrian