Romfilatelia, the company specialized in editing and trading Romanian postage stamps,
introduces into the postal circuit the stamp issue ROMANIAN POTTERY - Peasant dishes (III).
The ornamental motifs with which the plates are decorated are basically geometrical, but also phytomorphic, avimorphic, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic. One of the oldest decorative geometrical motives is the triangle, which is also encountered on the prehistoric ceramics and appears in different forms (a series of triangles of the same size), "the saw" or "the wolf’s fang" (triangles arranged alternatively up-down).
The spiral particularly appears on the old ceramics of Cucuteni and Boian, but also on theplates moulded in Vama, Horezu, Oboga, Romana etc. usually made from white clay. The spiral, although a very old motif, cannot be found in the occidental ceramics of the same period, not even in the later ones, such as the Mediterranean potteries.
The "wave" or undulated line, elements that are often encountered, are applied on the bottom and rim of the plates and form the structure of garlands or a beanstalk with leaves and flowers placed on the same registers.
Along with the beanstalk and garlands, the fir-tree tweak is often encountered as a phytomorphic motive, also used in the prehistoric pottery. The fir-tree tweak symbolizes the perenniality associated to the tree (life tree). The vine (a Christian symbol), and also wheat ears, clovers, clusters of grapes, buds, stylized leaves and flowers are also represented.
The avimorphic, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic motives are more rare and more recent and belong to the Byzantine tradition. Doves, fowls, fishes (Christian symbols) are represented. If the "rooster" motive is specific for Horezu ceramics, for Oboga it’s the "hen" and for Vama, the stylized female silhouette, placed centrally, on the plate bottom.
The symbolic motives are very interesting, being connected to ancient, pre-Christian beliefs, associated to the cult of the Sun, which replaced the one of fecundity from the Bronze era. The Sun is stylized in rosettes, whirls, simple or concentric circles, spirals, or even in the anthropomorphised image of the star. The "laughing sun", “crying sun" as well as the stylizations of the Moon, transposed on flat plates, particularly by the craftsmen potters from Horezu, are motifs of great sensitivity.
On the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 0.60 a peasant dish made in Tg. Lapus -Maramures is illustrated.
On the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 0.80 a peasant dish made in Luncavita-Tulcea is illustrated.
On the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 1.10 a peasant dish made in Horezu-Valcea is illustrated.
On the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 1.60 a peasant dish made in Radauti-Suceava is illustrated.
