Shields

 

1899-1903- Defintive

Allegory of seated Liberty and shield with the Argentinian sun on the sea's horizon

1988: Living Together

An Aussie kangaroo and New Zealand emu carrying a sedan chair. It will be a bouncy but fast ride

1978: Arms of the Communes

Say cheese we are in Gruyeres.  In history the name Gruyere could come from 'Grand Gruyer' which means forest ranger, someone who would manage a region.  Their flag and shield feature a crane (French - grue) so this could be the result of a love in heraldry of a pun however in legend it is said the founder of Gruyeres captured a crane and chose it as his heraldic animal. All is lost in its long history of settlement

1941: 750th Anniversary of Bern

Masons laying a cornerstone and of course every knight should have a shield although this one is not holding the Bear of Bern but an imperial eagle of the Holy Roman Empire.

1977: Stamp Day

19th Century Post House sign, Hamburg 

Sunday Stamps theme this week - shields, crests,heraldry - See It On A Postcard

Colourful Animals

 See It on A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is searching for Colourful Animals

The elusive lynx in the colours of the forest by the textile designer Saara Kurkela

Here's looking at you

Japanese porcelain seated tiger c1700 (Bowes Museum)

An alert tiger with some fine stripes.

Golden Hour

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is looking at Colourful Skies

Dog Walk on a Wet Beach (2014) - Mark A Pearce

Printmaker and landscape artist Mark Pearce lives in Ravenglass so this will be the estuary on his doorstep where three rivers, the Esk, Irt and Mite, reach the sea.

St Petersburg. View at the Kunstkammer

The Neva reflecting the sky by the Kunstkammer (Museum of Anthropology and Enthnography)

Take a Seat

 

1989: Royal Visit

A Queen's chair

1997: Danish Design

The Faaborg chair of 1914 design by Kaare Klint (1888-1954)

1999: Furniture

An uncomfortable chair

1996: Endre Nemes (1909-1985)

A surreal chair - "The Baroque Chair" painted by Endre Nemes.  A Hungarian Jew living in Vienna he fled to Sweden (via Finland and Norway) during WW2 and would become a Swedish citizen.

Sunday Stamps theme of - Furniture - more at See It On A Postcard 

Tree time

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is looking for colourful trees or flowers

The Memorial and Square, Broughton by Martin Collie (1945-2007)

The artist's paint has magically disappeared all the cars that usually park here. The sky is clearing after rain and the chestnut tree is changing into its autumn colours. (Happily we are in May and the chestnut trees are in full flower at the moment). This 18th Century square was built by the Lord of the manor, Gilpin Sawrey influenced by the fashion for squares at the time.  The obelisk was erected in 1810 for the Jubilee of George III.  The yellow building is the popular Manor Arms. A warm log fire in the winter and drinks outside in summer and also today with its pleasant 18℃

The start of autumn by Coniston Water in the Lake District

The Summer Garden, St Petersburg

Golden autumn in Russia

A magical Christmas forest in Finland imagined by Sanna Annukka

Patterns

 

1986: International Day of Handicrafts

On the left, Qalamkar, a type of textile printing using carved wooden stamps, a skill which originated centuries ago in the city of Isfahan. On the right Balochi needlework made by the Balochi people who today are found in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

1999: Folk Art

A Rockblad or rock blade, a bride's gift carved from a single piece of wood often with many hearts. These would be put in a bride's box so she could sort through linen and wouldn't have to touch anything with her hands.  This one is from the 19th Century.

2006: Beetles

Always fun to count a ladybird's spots, this one has seven

2021: Jersey Seabirds and Marine Life

A creature full of nature's patterns swimming the oceans, a Loggerhead Turtle, always drawn to warm waters unless following a drift or smack of jellyfish. One could say a smack means a snack although Loggerheads have the widest food range of any sea turtle and eat both animal and plant life.

Sunday Stamps theme - Patterns - more at  See It On A Postcard

Spring Flowers

 Its Spring and See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is in search of gardens

Daffodils and Pewter Jug (1963) by Winifred Nicholson

Winifred Nicholson has just come in from her garden arranged the flowers she has picked and painted them, you can just see the bare bones of a spring garden and colour in the background. This window view with flowers was one of her favourite subjects.

Taking a walk through one of Scarborough's gardens on the esplanade and its bold municipal planting. The lady on the right has come colour coordinated for daffodil season. Both the clock and shadows tell us it is midday. The clock tower was built in 1911 for George V's coronation and has recently undergone major renovations.