Hello!
Starting with this post, I’d like to begin a series on Czesław Słania, an engraver who created so many exquisitely detailed stamps that he became known as “the magician of the burin.”
Słania and the Beginnings of His Stamp Engraving
Czesław Słania (1921–2005) was a Polish-born engraver and designer.
(In Japan his name is usually written “Surania,” although “Suwania” — closer to the Polish pronunciation — is also sometimes used.)
He engraved the master dies for stamps and banknotes for many European countries.
What is engraving?
Engraving is an intaglio printmaking technique. Using a burin — a chisel-like tool with a very hard, diamond-like tip — the artist cuts lines into a copper plate. Ink is pressed into the grooves and the plate is printed onto paper. The technique is known for its crisp, precise lines.
Słania was born the son of a miner in Czeladź, near the city of Katowice in southern Poland.
In 1945 he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, renowned for its graphic arts, and his talent was recognized early: while still a student, he began working at the Polish state stamp printing works.
There he learned to engrave plates for intaglio printing.
1951: Słania’s First Stamp
On March 24, 1951, Poland issued Słania’s first stamp.
He had worked on a few stamps before this one, but this is the stamp Słania himself regarded as his first.
He worked as a printing engraver in Poland until 1956, when he moved to Sweden. From 1959 he was employed by the Swedish Post.
In 1972 he was appointed Court Engraver to the Swedish Royal Court, and over his lifetime he produced work not only for Sweden but for 28 countries.
1986: Recognized by the Guinness Book of Records
By 1986 Słania had engraved 720 stamps, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records (now Guinness World Records) for the number of stamps he had produced.
Five years later, in 1991, Sweden issued a souvenir sheet to celebrate his 70th birthday.
The fact that a country would issue a commemorative stamp honoring a stamp engraver shows just how highly Słania was respected in Sweden.
The design is based on The Coronation of Gustav III, an unfinished painting by the Swedish artist Carl Gustaf Pilo (March 5, 1711 – March 2, 1793).
Even with only a few colors, the subtle expressions of the figures are captured beautifully.
The souvenir sheet has a tab illustrating a burin and a loupe — the tools of the intaglio stamp engraver.
Słania’s 1,000th Stamp: “The Best Work of My Life”
Słania kept on engraving, and in 2000 Sweden issued his 1,000th stamp.
The original artwork is a ceiling painting at Drottningholm Palace.
It is based on Great Deeds of the Swedish Kings by the Baroque painter David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl (1628–1698).
The stamp in the souvenir sheet measures 75.5 mm × 55 mm, the largest ever issued by Sweden.
At the time, it was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest engraved stamp in the world.
The colors of the stamp are brighter than those of the original painting.
Słania, who concentrated on every single line to bring the painting to life, called this stamp “the best work of my life.”
Monaco’s Princess Grace Stamp
Słania’s work — truly his legacy as an engraver — is highly prized among stamp collectors.
Many collectors say his meticulous engraving technique and sense of beauty represent the pinnacle of stamp art, and I am one of them.
One of the things that first drew me to Słania’s stamps was his portrait of Princess Grace (Grace Patricia Kelly, 1929–1982).
In 1993, Monaco and the USA issued stamps with a shared design:
Monaco’s is titled “Princess Grace,” and the American one “Grace Kelly.”
Both are based on the same photograph, but each country asked for its own original engraving.
If you look closely, you can spot the differences.
I was amazed to learn that an image that feels even more lifelike than a photograph is made up entirely of fine engraved lines.
It made me want to learn much more about engraved stamps.
After this stamp, the Principality of Monaco went on to commission Słania for many more important commemorative issues.
For more Princess Grace stamps from Monaco, see this post:
👉 The Elegant World of Grace Kelly on the Stamps of Monaco
Summary
Słania’s achievements — a lifetime of work in which art and technique come together — are enormous in the world of stamps.
He built an extraordinary career and earned the admiration of countless collectors and art lovers. Over the next several posts, I’ll keep exploring his work.
Next, in Vol. 2, I look at the countries that issued Słania’s stamps — including those that issued only one.
👉 Czesław Słania, Master of Stamp Engraving — Vol. 2: The Countries That Issued His Stamps
Postio Marche, my online shop for foreign stamps, has a dedicated Słania stamp collection — please take a look.
👉 Postio Marche — Czesław Słania Stamps
Some of the stamps shown are from a private collection. Items available for purchase are those listed in the shop only.
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