CELEBRATED SETS

In the latest guide to a classic set that deserves a place in your album, David Bailey discovers the giants of Italian Culture and the society that brought them to the world – all thanks to Mussolini

Italian Fascism was rooted in the glories of the past. It harked back to the grandeur of the ancient Roman Empire and the cultural achievements of the Renaissance. And it hoped to cover the modern state in the same glory. The stamp programme was very much involved in this long backward look. From 1922 to 1937, roughly half of Italy’s commemorative sets featured historical figures: Cardinal Mazzini, Volta, Virgil, some of them with the inscriptions in Latin.

The 1932 Dante Society set features some of the country’s most important poets, writers and thinkers. It comes in two parts, with twelve stamps for surface mail and seven for airmail. Stylistically, the two sets are very different (and are often found in different sections of a collector’s album) so this article will focus on surface mail.

Like most Italian commemoratives of the period, the top two values in the set were sold at a premium, which was for the benefit of the Dante Alighieri Society. This was founded in 1889 by a group of intellectuals led by Giosue Carducci and four years later it was established by Royal Decree. It had three objectives: to protect and spread the Italian language and its culture throughout the world; to revive the spiritual ties between the mother country and fellow countrymen abroad; and to encourage a love and respect for Italian civilisation among foreigners – a perfect fit for the state’s objectives.

The postage values were designed by Francesco Chiapelli (1890-1947) an accomplished artist and engraver whose work is still admired today; his designs for the 1932 Garibaldi Anniversary set (see page 45) have a similar look and feel.

The stamps were printed by

photogravure, except the 10l + 2l.50, which was recess-printed (line engraved).

The Dante Alighieri Society survived the war and has prospered since.

With its aims unchanged since 1889, it operates in over 80 countries promoting Italian culture through exhibitions, conferences, publications, language courses and other events.

Twelve cultural figures 10c sepia

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) is best known the stories in the Decameron: tales told by a group of Florentines who had fled the plague in the city. They served as an inspiration to Chaucer and Shakespeare and were one of the first great works of literature to be written in the Italian vernacular.

15c blue-green

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a Florentine statesman, philosopher and writer who found himself both in and out of favour with the rulers of the time. It was during a period of exile that he wrote Il Principe – a manual of statecraft that he dedicated to Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici.

The English word ‘Machiavellian’ tends to be used for plots and intrigues of Byzantine complexity. In fact, his advice is chillingly simple, which led to accusations of atheism and a cynical lack of morality.

20c carmine red

Fra Paolo Sarpi (1552-1623) studied history, theology, philosophy, mathematics and oriental languages. He was also well versed in astronomy – he knew Galileo - and kept up with developments in medical science. His thinking often led to conflict with the Catholic Church and he took a leading role in the Venetian Republic’s struggle with the Papacy. In 1607, he was attacked and left for dead by stiletto-wielding assassins. Happily, he survived and recovered.

25c green

As a writer, Vittorio Alfieri (17141803) specialised in tragedy: he wrote nineteen of them. But he was a late starter and before he realised his true vocation he travelled extensively in Europe, absorbing different languages and cultures. (He was forced to leave England after a scandalous affair). He travelled so much that when he did sit down to write he found he’d lost his fluency in Italian and it took spells in Florence and Siena to get it back.

30c sepia

Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827) is credited with writing the first Romantic novels in that his works are influenced by – and often critical of – current events and the men who caused them.

An early Italian patriot, he fought with France against Austria and Russia for possession of Venice but became disillusioned with Napoleon. Then when the Austrians regained control of Venice he had to go into exile. He died in Turnham Green, London but in 1871, his remains were re-patriated by the new Kingdom of Italy.

50c bright violet

The poet and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi (1798 – 1837) is one of the greats of the 19th century. He had an unhappy childhood, he was hardly ever in perfect health and disappointed in love – but he distilled these experiences into outstanding lyric poetry.

75c carmine-red

Giosue Carducci (1835-1907) is Modern Italy’s national poet and the first Italian to win a Nobel Prize. In his writing, he led a move away from romanticism and back to the restrained style of the Classical authors.

1l.25 blue

Carlo Botta (1766-1837) was born in Italy but spent much of his life in France. He supported Napoleon and served as a surgeon in the French Army. His principal work is a fourvolume History of Italy; he had witnessed many events it describes.

1l.75 orange

Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) was the greatest Italian poet of the late renaissance - but suffered from mental problems throughout his life. His greatest work is ‘Jerusalem Delivered’, an account of the First Crusade that combines epic poetry with lyrical romanticism.

2l.75 slate-green

The poet Francesco Petrarch (13041374) is credited for laying the foundations of European Humanism by promoting the continuity between Classical culture and the Christian message. His sonnets addressed to a mysterious woman called Laura have drawn parallels with the ‘dark lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets.

5l + 2l carmine-red

Another Renaissance figure, Ludovico Ariosto (1474 – 1533) is best known for the epic poem Orlando Furioso, distilled from the romances and heroic poetry of the Middle Ages. ‘Orlando’ is the Italian form of Roland and ‘Furioso’ refers to his madness over the loss of Angelica, daughter of the King of Cathay. The National Gallery’s Titian painting ‘Man with a Quilted Sleeve’ was long believed to be of him.

10l + 2l.50 olive-green

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) towers over Italian literature. His 3 volume narrative poem The Divine Comedy is said to be the greatest work in the Italian language and he has been an inspiration to poets and painters ever since – with Chaucer, Milton and William Blake among them. In it, the poet is guided through Hell and Purgatory by the Roman poet Virgil and through Paradise by Beatrice, his ideal woman.

Originally titled ‘The Comedy’, it is believed to have been dubbed ‘Divine’ by Giovanni Boccaccio, above.

Collecting the stamps

A glance at the catalogue panel will tell you that the top values saw limited postal use and are therefore cheaper in mint condition. And also that collectors at the time were reluctant to splash out on them in mint. This is not a cheap set – but there is a lot of material available online across the spectrum of conditions and sold as single values or part sets, so you have freedom to collect how you like.

Thematic collectors have another choice. The whole set of stamps was overprinted ‘COLONIE ITALIANE' for use overseas. These come in at a fraction of the price.

As always, the best way to get involved in Italy, its Colonies and their stamps is to join the club: the Italy and Colonies Study Circle with a packet circuit, a well-supported auction and a gold-medal winning Club magazine. Find them at www. icsc-uk.com

Many thanks to Tony Clayton (ICSC) for images and information.