2014Easter - Sheetlets

To celebrate Easter in a unique manner in the world of philately, Magyar Posta presents the passion and resurrection of Jesus in a miniature sheet of fifteen stamps. The miniature sheet features the paintings entitled The Way of the Cross by the Kossuth Prize-winning artist Erzsébet Udvardi (1929-2013) in the church of the Holy Cross in Fertőd, which were reproduced using a combination of offset and foil printing. The new miniature sheet will be available at large post offices and Filaposta in Hungary from 28 March, but may also be purchased from Magyar Posta’s online store. Besides the central figure of the paintings, the suffering Jesus as he walks the Way of the Cross, other figures depicted are Pontius Pilate condemning Jesus to death and a Jewish high priest (I), the soldiers carrying out the execution (III, X, XI), Jesus’ holy mother, Mary, (IV, XII), Simon of Cyrene (V), Veronica (VI), Joseph of Arimathea asking for the body of Jesus (XIV) and Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome (XV). The subject of each of the paintings in the order of the stamps is: I Pilate condemns Jesus to death II Jesus carries his cross III Jesus falls with the cross for the first time IV Jesus meets his mother V Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross VI Veronica offers her veil to Jesus VII Jesus falls with the cross for the second time VIII Jesus comforts the women of Jerusalem IX Jesus falls under the weight of the cross for the third time X Jesus is stripped of his garments XI Jesus is nailed to the cross XII Jesus dies on the cross XIII Jesus is taken down from the cross and laid on his mother’s lap XIV Jesus is laid in the tomb XV The angel announces the resurrection of Jesus The regular postage stamp Easter 2014 can also be purchased as an exclusive set. The front of the holder is enhanced by a cut-out cross edged with gold foil. An extract from the poem On the Third Day by János Pilinszky appears on the cover, and inside in the space under the miniature sheet there are quotations from the Bible related to the subject of each painting. On the back there is a description in Hungarian and English.