BEL 1964 MiNr1369 pm B002, Erasmus Quellinus II

Stamp of belgium; 1964; semi-postal stamp of the issue "struggle against tuberculosis"; stamp drawing shows the painting "portrait of a boy with a falcon and two dogs" by erasmus quellinus ii (1607-1678) and jan fyt (1611-1681) together; erasmus quellinus ii worked also as painter in the studio of peter paul rubens.;the painting was created around 1655 in the style of the flemish baroque and is actual located in the "koninklijk museum voor schone kunsten" in antwerp (belgium); stamp postmarked note: the depicted patriarchal cross is not only the symbol for the "france libre" during the wwii and for the republic of elsass-lothringia after the wwi (among others), but on this stamp shall it commemorate the awarding of the nobel peace prize in 1963 to the international committee of the red cross (ikrk) together with the international federation of the red cross and red crescent societies (after these both was awarded with this prize already in 1901, 1917, and 1944) for their struggle against tuberculosis. The patriarchal cross goes back probably to the byzantine empire, where it was widespread already in the 10th century as symbol for the resurrection of jesus christ. Later, probably with the struggle against the european pest pandemy in 1347-1351, it got the symbol of the dominican order (which were very engaged in the care of the invalids). Later also the jesuits took over the double cross as their symbol and later away it got also to a general symbol for the catholic archiepiscopal metropolitan power as such. After the fundation of the red cross in 1863 and the definition of their aims, the double cross got also to the symbol of the struggle against natural catastrophes and diseases in general, after the wwi mainly for the struggle against tuberculosis and other lung diseases of bacterial and virulent origins. (for instance the "spanish influenza"). Stamp: michel: no. 1369; yvert & tellier: no. 1309; scott: no. B768; afa: no. 1387 color: violet purple watermark: none nominal value: 3 francs = 2 + 1 fr (frans) (= 1 franc as surcharge for the struggle againt tuberculosis) postage validity: from 5 december 1964 until ? stamp picture size (printed area of a single stamp): 24. 0 x 35. 5 mm. Date: 5 December 1964 (first issue day of the stamp).