COVER N.134 /135 /136 - MONACO.

Postmark: Monte Carlo Pté. de Monaco 04.07.2022 / Principauté du Monaco Paris Philex 23-26 Juin 2022
Posted on the 4th July; received on the 7th July 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

In one of the first entries I appended to the "Musings" section of this humble blog, I wrote that from all the catalogue of human qualities, generosity is probably the one that has me wondering the most. Do unto others like you'd want the other to do unto you... but... would I rise to the occasion? would it  happen, if it would be me?

Of course everyone has it reasons, possibilities, capabilities but the simple act of giving, in exchange for nothing other than a simple, frank, heartfelt "Thank you" is, more than a uncommon gesture, an act of grandeur.

Merci énormément, Pierre. 

Pierre sent me no less than 3 C5 envelopes full of goodies, exhibiting each one amazingly beautiful (and equaly expensive) stamps on them, posted, I am led to think, from a Philatelic exhibition held in Paris - Philex 22, which was held between 23 and 26 June at the "Parc des Expositions de Paris de la Porte de Versailles", hence the beautiful commemorative Postmark with the a Parisian lamppost and the silhouette of the Tour Eifel in  the distance, on the envelopes.

#134 - Stamps, left to right:

10 Franc stamp, issued on 06MAY1998,  celebrating the centenary of the death of Charles Garnier, the architect that rose to fame by conceiving the project for the place where Serge Regianni  is his fabulous "Le barbier de Belleville" said he sadly would never be able to sing: la salle Garnier, or the monumental Paris Opera.

5 Franc stamp, issued on 03MAR1998, commemorative of the 50th anniversary of the Monaco Red Cross. established on the 3rd March 1948 by Prince Louis II, the grandfather of Prince Rainier III

#135 - Stamps, Left to Right:

3,80 Franc stamp issued on 28NOV1997, in taglio printed, celebrating the centenary of the birth of Princess Charlotte, the mother of Prince Rainier III.

The Circus festival of Monte Carlo, held each year in January is a long tradition that dates back to 1974. With its creation, Prince Rainier sought  to promote a form of art that often does not get the attention it deserves. 

The 3 Franc stamp celebrating the 1998 edition (its 22nd) of the Festival International du Cirque de Monte Carlo was issued on 30NOV1997.

Joseph Kessel (1898-1979) was a man of many trades. An aviator on both world wars, he would become famous for his literary work and for being the co-translator (with his nephew) of the celebrated Chant des Partisans, from the Russian Original. One of his most famous novels was "Belle de jour" which Luis Buñuel would direct in film form with a very young and beautiful Catherine Deneuve in the main role.

The beautiful in taglio printed 3.90 Franc stamp celebrating the centenary of his birth was issued on 06MAY1998.

Also the brainchild of Prince Rainier III, the Festival de Télévision de Monte Carlo was first organised in 1961, with a view to developing a form of communication  and art dissemination whose importance was  perceived from the moment the first experimental signal emissions took place.

The 4.5 Franc stamp celebrating the 38th edition of the festival was issued on 04FEV1998.

#136 - Stamps, Left to Right:

Prince Albert I (1848 - 1922) was a sea lover. So much so that he devoted much of his life to the study of the seas and their interaction with humans and other animals alike. He was also  friends with one like minded monarch - D. Carlos I - that ruled Portugal until being  killed by gun shot in 1908, two years before the eventual fall of the monarchy in my own country.

Both of them would satiate their scientific desire with expeditions aboard their Royal yachts, the Hirondelle and the D. Amélia, producing an investigation corpus whose value was well recognised by the scientific community. Both would also create museums dedicated to their love of all things sea, the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and the  Aquário Vasco da Gama in Algés, Portugal.

The very beautiful in taglio printed stamp with the effigy of Prince Albert I as the monarch progressed through the years and a face value of 7 Franc was issued on 06May1998, celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The 8 Franc stamp is part of a 2 stamp set, with facial values of 8 and 9 Monegasque Francs issued on 08SEP1997, dedicated to Great Paintings and Painters, It depicts a portrait of François Grimaldi, a name that is associated with the rulling family, although not by direct descendant line., by Ernando Venazi, a contemporary painter born in 1948. The companion stamp on the set is illustrated with an image of  "Peter and Paul" by the Dutch Peter Paul Rubens.