Description

American Folk Art. Pueblo Art Issue 1977   1 complete sheet with 40 new stamps

On April 13, 1977, the Postal Service issued four 13-cent stamps as a se-tenant issue titled Pueblo Pottery. Part of the American Folk Art Series, the stamp depicts a Zia pot, a San Ildefonso pot, a Hopi pot, and an Acoma pot. Ford Ruthling designed the issue.

The multicolored stamps were printed on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing seven-color Andreotti gravure press as sheets of 160 subjects, tagged, perforated 11, and distributed as panes of forty (eight across, five down). Mr. Zip, “MAIL EARLY IN THE DAY,” electric eye markings, and five plate numbers, one in each color used to print the sheet, are printed in the selvage.

The matting on this picture is an acid free matte(s) for long term protection and to enhance the picture. Acid free mattes provide 75-100 years of protection against matte burn and brown marks which can decrease the value of a painting. The matting colors were selected to draw the eye into the picture complementing the artist’s selected brush work or towards a particular key element of the piece.

This beautiful art work is protected with Museum Glass, an anti-reflection picture framing glass with conservation grade UV protection.  With its nearly invisible finish, it effectively blocks up to 99% of harmful indoor and outdoor UV light rays so framed pieces remain clearer and brighter for longer. It is the best glazing option available for art, photographs and other important personal keepsakes.

Condition: Original – excellent and framed
Provenance: Purchased from the USPS in 1977
References: Scott 2005 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers
Michael Hice , “Pueblo Pottery Beyond the Millennium”, http://www.sfaol.com/art/hice.html