Venus de Milo was uncovered, after centuries being buried, on April 8, 1820.
Together with the Mona Lisa and The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo is one of the three most famous female figures in the Louvre. Her name comes from the Greek island of Melos (now called Milos), where she was found in 1820 and acquired almost immediately by the Marquis de Rivière, the French ambassador to Greece at that time. He then presented her to King Louis XVIII, who donated her to the Louvre in March 1821. In barely two years, the Venus had moved from the shadows to the light. Ideal Greek Beauty – Venus de Milo and the Galerie des Antiques
The Venus de Milo
Issued for the 1999 PHILEXFRANCE
LaPoste France
Designer: Jean-Paul Veret-Lemarinier
Engraver: Claude Jumelet
aKnown also as the Aphrodite of Milos, the Venus de Milo is a marble sculpture that was likely created by Alexandros of Antioch (2nd – 1st century BCE)–a Greek sculptor from the Hellenistic period—during the late 2nd century BCE. It features a nearly nude, larger-than-life (6 feet, 8 inches tall) female figure posed in a classical S-curve.
Her body is composed of two blocks of Parian marble as well as “several parts [that] were sculpted separately (bust, legs, left arm, and foot),” according to the Louvre. Furthermore, the sculpture was likely colorfully painted and adorned with jewelry, though no pigment or metal remains on the marble today.
In 1820, the statue was discovered by a farmer in an ancient niche on the Aegean island of Melos. While it was unearthed in pieces, it was able to be reassembled. Its fragmented arms—the left holding an apple and the right brushing against the figure’s waist—however, were deemed unoriginal and not re-attached. The History of the Venus de Milo Statue, an Ancient Greek Sculpture
King Richard the Lionhearted was fatally wounded in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt on March 24, 1199.
Richard was laying siege at Chalus-Chabrol in the Limousin region of France. His wound quickly turned septic, killing him on April. 6.
800th Death Anniversary of King Richard I of England (1157-1199)
French stamp
The castle of Châlus, which held rebels opposed to his reign, was surrounded by Richard when a crossbow shot from the walls above entered his left shoulder. Despite the fact that the wound was first considered small, gangrene developed, and Richard died on April 6th 1199. He was in his mother’s arms when he died. Richard the Lionheart’s death and the disastrous succession – History with Henry
French actor and playwright Molière died February 17, 1673.
A major comic author of the classical century, having written more than 20 plays, Molière was also an excellentactor. He played the leading roles in his plays, and this in all the performances. In addition to this double hat, he is the director of the troupe. In this respect, his play L’Impromptu de Versailles is an enlightening testimony to his way of directing actors and bringing a theatre troupe to life. Molière, life and work
In 2022, Molière’s 400th anniversary was celebrated by the French, Monaco and Luxembourg post offices.
Molière 1622-1673
From French post office’s 2022 Molière, Author, 400th Anniversary of Birth set
Designer: Stéphane Humbert-Basset
Engraver: Pierre Bara
Stendhal’s description of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin as “Molière, the great painter of man as he is” is undoubtedly the most accurate. A keen-eyed observer of his contemporaries and avid chronicler of all their ways and works, Molière was skilled in all aspects of drama, appealing to both the public and the Court. Today, Molière’s work is considered one of the highlights of world literature. Molière | Palace of Versailles
400th Anniversary of the Birth of Molière
Issued by Monaco post in 2022
Designer: Yves Beaujard
Baptized on January 15, 1622, and probably born a day or two before, Moliere – real name Jean-Baptiste Poquelin – remains as central to French culture as Shakespeare to the English-speaking world. When the French refer to their native tongue, it is as the “language of Moliere.” France marks 400 years of Moliere, master of stage, satire – Global Times
Issued for the Fall Paris Stamp Show 2022 – Molière
Luxembourg Post
Artist: Pit Weyer
French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was born February 2, 1926.
President from May 27, 1974 to May 27, 1981
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of France
Issued by French Post 2021
Designer/engraver: Sophie Beaujard
President Giscard d’Estaing sought to modernise French society by means of a series of major social reforms. He lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, introduced divorce by mutual consent, extended
the scope for referring matters to the Constitutional Council and put an end to the government’s significant influence on public television and radio. He appointed Simone Veil as Minister of Health
and supported her fight to legalise abortion. Whilst in power, Giscard d’Estaing fostered the integration of persons with disabilities into public and economic life by pushing through a set of
ground-breaking laws.
He also launched major infrastructure projects, including the TGV high-speed train, the development of nuclear energy and the creation of new communication networks and means of communication, such as the Minitel. Valéry Giscard d’Estaing
Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer, died January 30, 1963.
“I simply follow my own feelings”
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
From the 1974 Famous People series
Issued by France in 1974.
Designed and engraved by Jacques Combet
One of the most eclectic composers who ever lived, “Poulenc borrowed disguisedly from a kaleidoscope of musical languages, speaking clearly, directly and humanely to every generation.” His close friend Darius Milhaud suggested, “Poulenc is music himself; I do not know of any other more direct music, expressed in a simpler way that goes straighter to the target.” Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) | Biography, Music & More
