[from a press release]
Date of issue: 21 March 2022
Form: sheet with six stamps in six different designs, with value 1 for post up to and including 20 grams for a destination within the Netherlands
Item number: 420161
Design: Jeremy Jansen, Amsterdam
Lithography: Marc Gijzen, Voorburg

The six different stamps in this sheet feature tulip vases from the collections of a number of Dutch museums. The production of these unique glazed earthenware vases reached its peak at the end of the 17th century. The denomination on these stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20g destined for the Netherlands.

The history of Delftware is closely linked to that of Chinese porcelain. Delft was one of the VOC’s trading posts, with warehouses where large stocks of this porcelain were stored. [“VOC” stands for “Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie,” the Dutch East India Company. — VSC] Delft potters developed a type of tin-glazed earthenware that could be compared to Chinese porcelain in terms of shape, shine and decoration. Delftware owes its fame mainly to the flower vases with spouts, known since the 19th century as tulip vases. From 1680 onwards, these vases appeared on the market in all shapes and sizes: from gourd bottles, triumphal arches, bowl shapes and goddesses with spouts on their heads to flower pyramids. The pyramids consist of spherical or square segments that are stacked to incredible heights, with the tallest one being almost 2 metres tall. Flowers such as tulips, carnations, Sweet Williams, hyacinths, daffodils and Persian ranunculus could be inserted into the spouts. Often they were also displayed empty on a table, as a showpiece. Because of their decoration, often with Far-Eastern figures and motifs, the vases evoke associations with the Far East. Their construction can also be reminiscent of Chinese pagodas.

The Delftware tulip vases issue features nine different vases, with some vases appearing several times on a number of stamps. Three stamps feature a single vase, two stamps feature three vases, and one stamp features four vases. The three large vases on the stamps are varnished, giving them a porcelain-like sheen. The edge of the sheet not only features all the vases again, but also the names of the museums that have these tulip vases in their collections. The background colour behind the name of each museum corresponds to the colour beneath their vases. Some of the typography on the stamps is placed in a vertical reading direction. On all stamps, the sorting hook is placed at the bottom right-hand side.

Designer Jeremy Jansen studied the subject by consulting catalogues of Dutch museums that have Delftware tulip vases in their collections. ‘For example the Kunstmuseum in The Hague published a wonderful book about a retrospective exhibition in 2007. This catalogue is also an inventory of where all these vases can be found around the world. For practical reasons, I limited myself to vases in Dutch museums. I kept the idea of an inventory in mind, so the stamp sheet has become a sampler, a visual overview of the vases that can be viewed in the Netherlands.’

The stamp sheet features nine different tulip vases from four different museums, using existing images.

The order on the sheet edge, clockwise from top left:

• Bowl-shaped flower vase, pottery De Grieksche A, tin-glazed earthenware, height 28.8 cm, circa 1690 (Kunstmuseum Den Haag)
• Flower vase with a blue and white decor of Chinese motifs, pottery De Metaale Pot, tin-glazed earthenware, height 61 cm, 1685-1691 (Keramiekmuseum Princessehof Leeuwarden)
• Flower pyramid in the style of a Chinese pagoda, pottery unknown, tin-glazed earthenware, height 108 cm, circa 1700 (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)
• Octagonal gourd flask with spouts, pottery De Grieksche A, tin-glazed earthenware, height 29.7 cm, circa 1690 (Het Loo palace, Apeldoorn)
• Flower vase with spouts, in the shape of a gourd flask, pottery De Grieksche A, tin-glazed earthenware, height 28.2 cm, circa 1690 (Kunstmuseum Den Haag)
• Flower vase with five spouts, pottery De Metaale Pot, tin-glazed earthenware, height 16 cm, circa 1690-1715 (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)
• Flower vase, pottery De Metaale Pot, tin-glazed earthenware, height 28.4 cm, circa 1691-1724 (Kunstmuseum Den Haag)
• Flower vase with mirror monogram WR (Willem Rex) and bust of king-stadtholder Willem III, pottery De Metaale Pot, tin-glazed earthenware, height 39.8 cm, circa 1695-1702 (Het Loo palace, Apeldoorn)
• Flower pyramid consisting of 11 segments, attributed to pottery De Metaale Pot, tin-glazed earthenware, height 156 cm, circa 1692-1700 (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)

The Delftware tulip vases stamps are available while stocks last at the post office counter in Bruna shops and at https://shop.postnl.nl/webshop/collect-club/delftse-tulpenvazen-6-vel-nl1 [in Dutch]. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 25 x 36mm
Sheet size: 75 x 144mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Glue: synthetic
Printing technique: offset, varnish
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, blue and orange
Edition: 91,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of six stamps in six different designs
Design: Jeremy Jansen, Amsterdam
Lithography: Marc Gijzen, Voorburg
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 420161

[from a press release]
Issue: Typically Dutch – Hockey
Date of issue: 21 March 2022
Appearance: sheet of six stamps in six identical designs
Item number: 420361
Design: Claire Bedon and Edwin van Praet (Total Design), Amsterdam

This issue is the second in the Typically Dutch series this year. In 2022, the multi-annual series is dedicated to five sports in which the Dutch excel. Other stamps in the series are Skating (3 January), Cycling (4 April), Sailing (9 May) and Football (15 August).

Pim Mulier introduced hockey to the Netherlands in 1891. The first hockey clubs were soon established in Amsterdam, Haarlem and The Hague, followed in 1898 by the Nederlandsche Hockey & Bandy Bond, now called Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond (KNHB, ‘Royal Dutch Hockey Association’). On 23 January 1926, the Dutch men’s hockey team played its very first international match. In Antwerp, they defeated the national team of Belgium, scoring 1-2.

Hockey is a major sport in the Netherlands, with over 250,000 active hockey players based at more than 300 clubs across the country. They play field hockey (September-December and March-June) and indoor hockey (December-February). The Dutch women’s and men’s teams have been competing at the highest level for many years. Both teams won many awards, including Olympic titles (women’s team in 1984, 2008, 2012 and 2020, men’s team in 1996 and 2000). The women’s team has won the world title eleven times, while the men’s team has won it three times.

Hockey matches last 4 x 17.5 minutes and are played by two teams of eleven players. Each team may use up to five substitutes. Indoor hockey matches are played by two teams of six players each. An indoor team may have up to six substitutes on the bench. Unlike football, players may be substituted an unlimited number of times in hockey.

The stamps show an illustration of a hockey player in action. She has the ball on her stick and is about to make a passing move. In the background are the 23m line and the shooting circle, representing the typical layout of a hockey pitch. At the bottom of each stamp is a white strip with the sorting hook, the year 2022, the country (Netherlands) and the denomination 1. The ball and the hockey player’s right shoe run through this strip. The same is happening with the ponytail in the white strip at the top. The logo for the Typically Dutch series is printed above each stamp, with a folded Dutch banner on the left and right. The picture is repeated in enlarged form on the edge of the sheet.

The 2022 stamps for the multi-annual Typically Dutch series were once again designed by Total Design from Amsterdam.

‘We explored two types of sports,’ explains Edwin van Praet, creative director at Total Design. ‘On the one hand, there were the Old Dutch sports often tied in with a particular region. Like klootschieten, beugelen, kaatsen and fierljeppen. On the other hand, we had the sports loved by everyone in the Netherlands. Sports linked to our culture, with water and with large numbers taking part in them: football, hockey, horse riding, swimming, korfball, sailing, golf, et cetera. Often, these are the sports the Dutch excel in, where we’re at the top internationally. Based on that initial selection, we created mood boards, a collection of photographs and images to establish the tone. Then we started sketching.’

A striking feature of the design is that both the ball and the right shoe protrude out of the picture and continue onto the strip at the bottom of the stamp. The same is happening with the ponytail in the white strip at the top. ‘They’re very small details,’ explains Van Praet, ‘but it reinforces the impression that the hockey player is coming towards you.’ You’re involved in the action, you’re the fan sitting in the stadium, watching a sportsperson coming towards you.’

The stamps are available while stocks last at the post office counter in Bruna shops and at www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels [in Dutch]. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Technical Details:
Postage stamp dimensions: 30 x 40 mm:
Sheet size: 170 x 122 mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gum: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, black and orange
Print run: 75,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs
Design: Edwin van Praet and Claire Bedon, Total Design, Amsterdam
Printing company: Cartor Security Printers, Meaucé-La Loupe, France
Item number: 420361

[from a press release]

Issue: Typically Dutch – Cycling
Date of issue: 4 April 2022
Appearance: sheet of six stamps in six identical designs
Item number: 420461
Design: Claire Bedon and Edwin van Praet (Total Design), Amsterdam

On 4 April 2022, PostNL will publish the Typically Dutch – cycling stamp sheet. This issue is the third in the Typically Dutch series this year. In 2022, the multi-annual series is dedicated to five sports in which the Dutch excel. Earlier this year, stamps featuring ice skating (3 January) and hockey (21 March) were published as part of this series. Later this year, PostNL will publish stamps featuring the typically Dutch sports of sailing (9 May) and football (15 August).

There’s nothing more Dutch than a bicycle. The Netherlands is home to more bicycles (22.9 million) than people. With all those bicycles, we travel some 17.4 billion kilometres per year, which is around 1,000km per person, with an average speed of 15.6km/hour. Relatively, the most kilometres are covered by the 36,000 cyclists who are members of the over 370 cycling clubs in the Netherlands. Their interests are protected by the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Wielren Unie (KNWU, ‘Royal Dutch Cycling Union’), which was founded in 1928. Besides road cycling, there are many other cycling disciplines: BMX, track cycling, cyclocross, mountain biking, beach racing, para-cycling and artistic cycling.

The Netherlands has produced many famous cyclists, including big names such as Jan Jansen (Tour de France winner), Hennie Kuiper (gold medallist at the Olympic Games), Joop Zoetemelk (Tour de France and Vuelta de España winner) and Tom Dumoulin (Giro d’Italia winner). The Dutch are often also world leaders in disciplines such as track cycling (Jeffrey Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen) and cyclocross (Lars Boom, Matthieu van der Poel). The achievements of Dutch female cyclists are even more impressive. Especially over the past few decades, Dutch women have dominated global cycling. Well-known champions are Leontien van Moorsel (four Olympic gold medals, Tour de France Féminin winner; shown on the right), Marianne Vos (one Olympic gold medal, twice World Championships winner in road cycling, three times Giro Rosa winner), Anna van der Breggen (one Olympic gold medal, twice World Championships winner in road cycling, once World Championships winner in time trial, four times Giro Rosa winner) and Annemiek van Vleuten (one Olympic gold medal, once World Championships winner in road cycling, twice World Championships winner in time trial, twice Giro Rosa winner).

The stamps on the Typical Dutch – cycling stamp sheet feature an illustration of a cyclist gaining momentum by getting out of the saddle and pushing the bicycle to the left. In the bottom right-hand corner, three diagonal lines can be seen in the background, representing the lines on a cycle track and on public roads. At the bottom of each stamp is a white strip with the sorting hook, the year 2022, the country (Netherlands) and the denomination 1. The tyre of the front wheel continues onto the strip a little way. The same is happening with the bicycle helmet in the white strip at the top. The logo for the Typically Dutch series is printed above each stamp, with a folded Dutch banner on the left and right. The picture is repeated in enlarged form on the edge of the sheet. The dominant colour blue continues on the two tabs on the right. The Typically Dutch logo appears once more on the top edge of the sheet, while the bottom edge features a short explanatory text.

The mood of the Typically Dutch – cycling stamps is created by the colour blue in the background, with orange (helmet, front fork), red (cycling shirt), yellow (face, arms, legs) and black (glasses, bib shorts, handlebars, cycling shoes, front wheel, pedals and bottom bracket) as contrasting colours. Van Praet: ‘All five issues this year include the colours of the Dutch flag. In the right order: first red, then white, then blue and finally two kinds of orange. Diversity was essential. The series features two female athletes, two male athletes including the cyclist, and one neutral figure.’

Technical Specifications:
Postage stamp dimensions: 30 x 40 mm:
Sheet size: 170 x 122 mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gum: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, black and orange
Print run: 75,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs
Design: Edwin van Praet and Claire Bedon, Total Design, Amsterdam
Printing company: Cartor Security Printers, Meaucé-La Loupe, France
Item number: 420461