'Art Gallery'
p. 45 · Read in the full issue
Cook Islands 'Art Gallery'
The Cook Islands have gone to one of the great Ren aissance artists, Giovanni Bel lini, for five of their six Christmas stamps. The issue comprises five Bellini paint ings in full colour of the Virgin and Child in denominations Ic, 4c, 10c, 20c, and 30c, and as shown above, a striking re production of the famous painting “Holy Family in a Garland of Flowers”, the joint work of Jan Brueghel and Pieter Van Avont. As can be seen in the illustration, this stamp is in small souvenir sheet form, the whole making an exact reproduction of the painting. It is a 50c stamp with a surcharge of 5c to be devoted to Cook Islands’ charities bene fiting children. The five Bel lini stamps are printed in small, convenient sheets of eight stamps with a decorative corner label bearing a pro file of Queen Elizabeth II indicating the classical origin of the stamp design.
The souvenir sheet illustrated above is here reproduced in actual size. The stamp itself is perforated for detachment if required.