Scott No: 2471-76
Serial number: 1993-15
Values in set: 6
Date of issue: November 22, 1993
Designers: Pan Keming; LuTianjiao
Size:
52*31mm for Values 1,2,5,6
31*52mm for Values 3,4
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 40
Printing process: offset

The special stamp set Selected Works of Zheng Banqiao, catalog number 1993-15, was issued on November 22, 1993. It consists of six stamps, produced using offset printing. The stamp sizes are 52×31 mm for (6-1), (6-2), (6-5), and (6-6), and 31×52 mm for (6-3) and (6-4), with a perforation gauge of 12 degrees. Each sheet contains 40 stamps. The stamps were designed by Pan Keming and Lu Tianjiao and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works.

Thematic Focus of the Set

This stamp set was issued to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Zheng Banqiao's birth. Zheng Xie, styled Banqiao, was a representative figure of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" in the Qing Dynasty. He excelled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving, particularly in orchids, bamboo, and rocks. He created the unique "Six-and-a-Half Script" calligraphy, commonly known as the "paved street" style. The stamps select six representative works, including small albums, hanging scrolls, and a calligraphy fan, balancing painting and calligraphy. They showcase his artistic style of concise brushwork and expressing aspirations through objects, using the imagery of orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums to embody the character of integrity, uprightness, and modest self-restraint, and promoting the literati painting tradition of integrating poetry, calligraphy, and painting.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Bamboo and Rock Fan

A small fan painting. Several stalks of green bamboo are set against unusual rocks. The brushwork is simple, vigorous, and free. The painting includes Banqiao's inscription. It is a typical literati fan painting, using bamboo to symbolize the unyielding character of a gentleman.

Orchid Album Leaf

An album leaf. Several clusters of orchids spread across plain paper. The orchid leaves are painted with cursive script brushstrokes, sparse and ethereal, without heavy ink. The orchid symbolizes noble purity and elegance. It is a classic small work of Zheng Banqiao's orchid subjects.

Orchid, Bamboo, and Rock Large Central Scroll

A vertical large central scroll. Orchids, bamboo, and rocks are composed together. The painting includes a long inscription, using the text about orchids growing freely in the mountains to express the sentiment of following one's nature and not seeking glory. It is a representative hanging scroll of his combined orchid and bamboo paintings.

Bamboo and Rock Hanging Scroll

The image is filled with tall, upright bamboo. The bamboo leaves are scattered with varying density. A poem is inscribed beside them. The brushwork is bold and unrestrained. Banqiao's bamboo painting advocated having the bamboo in one's mind before painting. This hanging scroll fully embodies his dripping, free-flowing style of painting bamboo.

Vase with Chrysanthemums Album Leaf

The image depicts autumn chrysanthemums in an antique vase. The composition is quiet and understated. Chrysanthemums symbolize withstanding frost and maintaining integrity. It is a rare chrysanthemum subject in Zheng Banqiao's small works, tranquil and elegant.

Calligraphy Fan

The fan features Banqiao's unique Six-and-a-Half Script, blending seal, clerical, regular, and running scripts. The characters vary in size and density, like a paved street of scattered stones. It is the most recognizable artistic symbol of Banqiao's calligraphy.

Artistic and Design Features

The set imitates the mounting style of ancient paintings. The background uses an elegant subtle texture, faithfully preserving the ink-wash and plain quality of the original works without extraneous rendering. The six images alternate between horizontal and vertical formats. Fans, album leaves, and large central scrolls are interspersed. Painting and calligraphy complement each other, fully presenting Zheng Banqiao's artistic appearance as a master of the "Three Excellences of Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting." It is a set with elegant style and rich literati atmosphere in the category of ancient famous paintings and calligraphy stamps.