While working on post-war Soviet stamps I came across a mis-attribution in my 1978 Stanley Gibbons catalogue which had not been corrected by 1992 (the only catalogues I own). The above stamp, then, shows the artist A.M.Vasnetsov (the 'A.M.' is both easily legible and significant) and a detail from one of his paintings; it also bears the date of issue, 1956.
Gibbons, however, gives the following attributions: 30th Death Anniv. of Vasnetsov and (below the image) A.M.Vasnetsov (artist). 'Dawn at the Voskresenski Gate'. This is misleading on two counts.
First, 1956 is not the 30th death anniversary of A.M.Vasnetsov (1856-1933), it is the centenary of his birth.
Secondly, the painting shown is not Dawn at the Voskresenski Gate; it is The Vsekhvyatski Stone Bridge: Moscow in the 1600s.
The reason for this double error is not hard to find. Apollinary Mikhailovich Vasnetsov had a younger brother, Viktor Mikhailovich, a well-known artist whose 25th death anniversary had already been marked in 1951. One of Viktor's famous paintings is indeed Dawn at the Voskresenski Gate, though it is shown neither above nor in the 1951 set. Gibbons has confused the two brothers.
So, two questions, really:
1. Does Scott repeat these mistakes, suggesting that both catalogues were misled by erroneous information sent out by Goznak when the stamps appeared (or even - say it ain't so, Joe - that one catalogue cribs its attributions from the other)?
2. Has Gibbons corrected its attribution since 1992?
Can anyone help here, before I send the correction up to the Strand and claim my five pound voucher for being extremely helpful!
webmaster for the ISWSC http://iswsc.org and ATA http://www.americantopicalassn.org 24 Mar 2015 07:52:13am
re: How Does Scott Identify *this* Stamp?
I just checked online with Stanley Gibbons My Collection which is based on their 2012 Stamps of the World and your stamp details are listed as:
1956 30th Death Anniv of A. M. Vasnetsov (artist).
Type #640 - Vasnetsov (after S. Malyutin) and Dawn at the Voskresenski Gate
SG 2035 - 40k. - multicoloured Unused (₤1.60 ) Used ( ₤0.60 )
So it doesn't appear that there has been any change in the information.
#1902 / 1956, Dec. 3rd: 100th Birth centenery of Apollinarij Wasnezow. The capture text with the picture is A. Wasnezow (1856-1933), painter. Painting "Moscow in the 17th century".
Note that Michel obviously uses the German transcription of cyrillic writing.
So, Scott has the right Vasnetsov, Michel has the right anniversary. Gibbons has ignored both and still misnames the artwork. 'Winter Scene' is an obvious generic description and has the merit of being visibly accurate. Where Gibbons has got the name of Vas junior's painting from I do not know, but there's no dawn, and there aren't any gates.
Good old Gibbons, eh!
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