[from a PostNL press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
The Lady of Stavoren
Issue date: May 9, 2022

• Sheet of 6 stamps in 2 different designs marked with ‘Internationaal 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for delivery outside of the Netherlands
• Item number: 420562
• Design: Edwin van Gelder, Amsterdam
• Illustrations: Toon Wegner through Stichting Nobilis, Fochteloo

This is the winner of the EUROPA Stamp Best Design Competition, in which cooperating postal companies in Europe have been issuing stamps with a common theme for over 65 years.

PostNL chose the story of the Lady of Stavoren in consultation with the Meertens Institute. Other folktales such as Saint Servatius, the Flying Dutchman, Ellert en Brammert and the Witte Wievenkuil were also considered. PostNL was guided in its decision by the moralistic nature and familiarity of the story. A bronze statue of the Lady, made by sculptor Pier de Groot, has stood in the harbour of Stavoren since 1969.

The Lady of Stavoren is a legend about how pride comes before a fall. The story is about a rich merchant’s wife. In a fit of rage, she throws grain overboard in the harbour of Stavoren. When bystanders are outraged, the woman throws a precious ring into the waves and says she will only regret it when the sea returns her ring. And the sea does just that, as she finds the ring in the belly of a fish. From then on, things start to go downhill: the woman loses all her money, the harbour silts up and Stavoren’s prosperity becomes a thing of the past.

The Lady of Stavoren is a legend by name. The sandbank off Stavoren was called Vrouwenzand (literally ‘Lady’s Sand’, named after Maria, patron saint of the local monastery of St. Odulphus. When the monastery and the origin of the name had faded from memory, the story of The Lady of Stavoren emerged. It is historically accurate that the prosperous town of Stavoren lost its trading position due to the siltation of the harbour. The oldest known version of this legend was recorded in the 16th century. Since then, the story has been retold and embellished in many different versions. For example, the empty ears of wheat growing on the sandbank date from the 18th century. The ring motif was added in the early 19th century.

Design:
The The Lady of Stavoren stamp sheet features six stamps in two different designs by graphic designer Edwin van Gelder. The stamps feature cut-outs from an illustration by Toon Wegner from the book The Lady of Stavoren. Each stamp features a line from a Dutch street song about the same subject. The tabs next to the stamps show the international Priority indication. The legend of The Lady of Stavoren is briefly recounted on the sheet edge, with literal quotations taken from the aforementioned booklet. The text on the sheet edge is accompanied by other illustrations from the book: the woman pointing to the ship that features prominently in the story. The texts, illustrations and captions are printed in gold (PMS 871) because The Lady of Stavoren wanted to possess all the riches in the world and her castle was clad with gold.

“I considered a purely typographical strategy, but that did not do justice to the narrative character of this legend,” says van Gelder. “On the other hand, I found photography too flat. I don’t make that kind of illustration in my design work, so I looked at what others have previously done. The first images I came across were a bit disappointing. Then I came across a book of beautiful, timeless illustrations by Toon Wegner, and I found it absolutely charming. His lithographs perfectly match the mood of the story. I used them to retell the story, but this time with a more abstract, contemporary twist. It was important to me that I created a contemporary image, which is why I came up with crops based on the original illustrations.”

The stamps are available while stocks last at the post office counter in Bruna shops and at www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels [in Dutch].

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 36 x 25mm:
Sheet size: 108 x 150mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gum: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: black, blue and gold
Edition: 60,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 6 stamps in 2 different designs
Design: Edwin van Gelder, Amsterdam
Illustrations: Toon Wegner through Stichting Nobilis, Fochteloo
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 420562