The „Three Kings” stamp design made by Ary Murnu
Author: Cristina Barbu
The stamp issues that appeared shortly after the accession of King Carol II to the throne of Romania are part of the series that present the king’s portraits. The first issue with King Carol II appeared on September 19, 1930, and was created by Ary Murnu and Ludovic Bassarab. The artist who designed the issue is Aristomene Gheorghiades Murnu, known as Ary Murnu, born on June 28, 1881, in Greece, in Xanti, his family having Macedonian origins.
The experience of magazine illustrations can be observed in the mastery of reproducing physiognomies, expressions, with minimal means, in a synthetic manner, in the layout of postage stamps and banknotes. From 1930, the artist began to create compositions for stamps, being the one who, alongside Ludovic Bassarab, has drawn the king’s effigy. The series made by the artist bears the imprint of his style and was dedicated to important personalities or historical events.
Between 1930-1944, several banknotes designed by him were printed. His compositions bear the imprint of detail, of the meticulously made sketch, but also the monumental construction of the composition, with extensive research and documentation work for the decorative, symbolic elements.
From a compositional point of view, the symbol is the language behind the elements. The center, constituted by the effigies of the three kings, made monumentally, with the portrait of King Carol II in the foreground, followed by King Ferdinand, and King Carol I, is a subtle reference to the king’s descendants, but also to the successes of the king, and transferring to Carol II the attributes of power. But the constitutive element of the stamp design, the frame, which proves the ability to create a graphic composition that has a decorative role, but which is full of significance, and whic,h through significant details, manages to highlight the realistic portraits in the center. Its composition represents the coat of arms of Romania, fixed by the law of June 23, 1921, deconstructed and transformed into its component elements represented alongside royal monograms.
The involvement of King Carol II in the philatelic field can be seen both in his diary notes and also in the careful involvement in the selection of compositions, which were to materialize in postal issues. The illustrations on the stamps were a very good means to promote among citizens the symbols of power or cultural elements in a highlighted manner, and today they can be relevant sources in the analysis of cultural spaces or historical times.
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