Rejoice in the arcadia of woods and waters - the sixth issue of ''Hong Kong Museums Collection'' special stamps: ''Hong Kong Museums Collection - Selection from the Chih Lo Lou Collection'' (with photos)
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The Chih Lo Lou Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy is a private collection established by the philanthropist and collector Mr Ho Iu-kwong. The Ho family donated the collection to the Hong Kong Museum of Art after Mr Ho passed away. Comprising precious paintings and calligraphy pieces that span from the Song Dynasty to modern times, the collection is particularly strong in works by various schools of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which chronicle the aesthetics of different periods and regions. These works enjoy high acclaim from heritage and arts sectors.
The art pieces adopted for the stamp products' design are precious gems unique to Chinese painting that have gone through ages and been celebrated with time. The three stamps together make a collage of Peach Blossom Retreat by Tang Yin, featuring an elegant and exquisite style. In this masterwork of his, a mountain retreat is shrouded in mist above a valley surrounded by waterfalls. A scholar is depicted in the middle of the scroll sitting on a stone platform contemplating the beautiful landscape. The contented and relaxed expression of the scholar projects his desire to escape from worldly chaos into the spiritual landscape.
The stamp sheetlet portrays Splashed-colour Landscape painted by Zhang Daqian in 1966, in celebration of Mr Ho Iu-kwong's 60th birthday. Zhang was living in Brazil by then and this piece of work signifies his sophisticated style of mastering the splash technique in his later years. The painting showcases his mastery of splashed colours with turquoise and ink that takes the art form to new heights. Printed with special stamp paper, it makes the stamp sheetlet exceptionally precious. Savouring the close detail of these works on the theme of natural vistas enables one to escape from the hustle and bustle and revel in the beauty of nature. To learn more about Chih Lo Lou and these five masterpieces, click here and to listen to Curator (Chih Lo Lou), Hong Kong Museum of Art, Mr Sunny Tang, who will share the stories behind the man and his art.
Starting from tomorrow, this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products including a set of six stamps, a stamp sheetlet, an official first day cover, a presentation pack, a set of postage prepaid picture cards and a serviced first day cover will be placed on sale at post offices.
For the issue of the "Hong Kong Museums Collection – Selection from the Chih Lo Lou Collection" special stamps tomorrow, Hongkong Post will implement a special sales arrangement to achieve social distancing and prevent crowds. During the period from today to the issue date of the stamps (May 21), customers could place their orders for this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products on the website stamps.hongkongpost.hk, including a set of serviced first day covers with special stamps date-stamped with pictorial postmarks of all 38 philatelic offices, without the need to visit the actual outlets. In addition, collection points will be set up at all post offices on the issue date of the special stamps to facilitate the submission of order forms as well as first day covers requesting hand-back date-stamping service. Hongkong Post will notify these customers of the collection date of their orders separately.
Information about this special stamp issue is available on the Hongkong Post website at www.hongkongpost.hk or the Hongkong Post mobile app.
Ends/Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Issued at HKT 12:15
Issued at HKT 12:15
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