France – Scott # 1625

Description

Issued in 1979, France Scott #1625 reproduces a richly detailed medieval manuscript illumination, celebrating the art of miniature painting and the cultural life of the Middle Ages. The scene depicts a courtly musician seated between two swans, playing a stringed instrument, with an attentive audience gathered in a gallery behind her.

Rendered in jewel-like greens, golds, and soft pastels, the design carefully adapts the dense ornamentation and narrative clarity of medieval illumination to stamp format. Architectural framing, patterned floors, and expressive figures evoke the aesthetic language of 15th-century manuscript art, underscoring France’s long tradition of bookmaking and visual storytelling.

Denominated 2.00 francs, the stamp bears the inscription “Miniature XVe s.” and “République Française.” It is an excellent topical for collectors of medieval art, manuscripts, music history, and cultural heritage.

This example is offered mint never hinged, with full original gum, clean margins, sharp perforations, and fresh, unfaded color.

• Country: France

• Year of Issue: 1979

• Scott Number: 1625

• Denomination: 2.00 francs

• Condition: Mint Never Hinged (MNH)