Santa Cena

Orthodox Easter is very close now. Yesterday we celebrated Maundy Thursday so this card came quite in time, part of a specific forum RR exchange (Easter Cards - E56). The card shows one of Jaime Huguet's paintings called Santa Cena (or Last Supper). This was a part of an altarpiece, commissioned in the 15th century by the guild of tanners to be placed on the altar of the Augustinian friary of Sant Agustí Vell ("Old St Augustine") in Barcelona, Spain.
The stamps are Dutch, since the card was send from Netherlands.
The 2002 (ND) dark-rose shows a multiple NL text and have the value of 2 euro-cents.
The 2014 blue stamp shows one of Dutch symbols: a windmill, part of a bigger series similar to the one I've blogged about here.
The 2010 white stamp shows Middelburg buildings (part of Beautiful Netherland series) and have a value of 0,44 €.

Thank You Tobia !

Country: Spain (but sent from The Netherlands)
Description: Jaime Huguet - Santa Cena 1463-1470/1475
Location:  Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña (here)
Publisher: Escudo de Oro

Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

...or Happy New Year, the equivalent for Dutch. You can see how this is spelled in other 166 languages. The card features a beautiful winter landscape, the only Holidays cards I like besides religious ones.

On the back there are two stamps. The first one shows a portrait of Tiësto, from a serie of 5 Dutch DJ issued in 15 October this year. The second one (2013) shows a snowy painted street with DECEMBER theme.

Thank YOU, Els !

Country: The Netherlands (but printed in Belgium)

Description: winter landscape with trees near a river

Publisher: Corna-Glamo SA

Collage with a squirrel

My Postal Love collection got another beautiful piece, aside from books & key postcard.
This time is a squirrel who overlap a musical Grand Staff and a vintage-style written address. In the right corner there is a Austro-Hungarian 5 Heller stamp (1904-1905) with Emperor Franz Joseph. On top, the "postcard" term is written in some European languages such German, French, Italian, Hungarian, Russian/Serbian, Polish etc.
The publisher offers other similar postcards with animals such as a bird, three foxes, a reindeer, a dragon, a rabbit or a cat. The idea and design are simply brilliant.
The 0.29 € stamp shows a stylized bells form 2005 December/Christmas collection.
The 0.39 € stamps were made for marking a special event: the Dutch Royal Wedding of Willem-Alexander and Máxima on 02.02.2002.

Thank You, Rietha !

Country: Poland (but sent from Netherlands)

Description: Collage with a squirrel

Publisher: Postal Love

game on

I didn't knew that a postcard can be used in other ways beside admire & collect it (yes, we could count bookmarking as well). But the card received few days ago proved me the contrary: you can play with it.

Name of the game? Wie moet er bier halen? (Who should get a beer?)

The rules are quite simple: you have to cut the center circle, put your middle finger inside and rotate it on the table. The person who it points to should get a beer. Nice!

The stamp has no face value and it's a part of Dutch Icons series. These stamps are marked "International 1" and are intended for international mail items up to 20g. As of 1 January 2014, the stamps Europe and Rest of World have been combined into the stamp International suitable for all destinations abroad.

Near the stamp there is a postal mark with the text schrijven zegt meer (= writing says more). It's the Dutch's Postal service way to encourage sending more and more letters and cards.

Thank You, Marjolein !

Country: Netherlands

Description: Play (Post)Card "Who should get a beer?"

Photo: Eelke de Blouw 

Publisher: boomerang.nl

Just a reminder

Today's mailbox was full with Postcards (12). And this one reminded me how beautiful life is and how important is to cherish every single moment of it. "Don't forget to be awesome" is made by Studio INKTVIS (2013) and printed in Netherlands by TheCardCompany. I got it from sanniekru, a Belgian forum user in a RR exchange: Belgium x World #216. She was kind enough to browse my huge favorites collection and see a copy. Thank you very much.

The stamps are awesome, too.

The 0.02 eurocents depicts  Bécassine des marais (Watersnip) by André Buzin, a Belgian artist who paints animals and flowers. The stamp has no date. Perhaps from 2003.

The other one, the 2€, is part of a larger collection of European Writers and show the portrait of the famous French writer Victor Hugo. The design was made by another Belgian artits, Jan De Maesschalck.

Thank You, Sandra !

Country: Netherlands (but received from Belgium)
Description: "Don't forget to be awesome" (text)

Photo: Studio INKTVIS