2018-09-05 Wed

The first commemorative Spanish stamps appeared on 1st May 1905. The commemorative stamps of this period celebrated the 17th Century writer, Miguel de Cervantes and publicized international exhibitions and conferences that were being held in Spain.
The ten pictorial commemorative Spanish stamps were issued to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote de La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. Published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote de La Mancha is a satirical novel about the Age of Chivalry. The story follows the adventures of Alonso Quixano, a lower echelon member of the Spanish aristocracy, who has read so many romances about chivalry that he loses his sanity. He sets out on a series of rather bizarre quests to revive chivalry, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the World, under the name of Don Quixote de la Mancha.

The central designs, featuring illustrations from Don Quixote, are as follows.

05 C Don Quixote sets forth
10 C Don Quixote attacking windmills
15 C Don Quixote meeting villagers
25 C Sancho Panza being tossed in a blanket
30 C Don Quixote being knighted
40 C Don Quixote attacking a flock of sheep
50 C Don Quixote on a wooden horse
01 P Don Quixote and lions
04 P Don Quixote in a bullock cart
10 P Don Quixote and the enchanted lady

All illustrations are flanked by portrait of Cervantes and a winged god and have Spanish coat of arms at the top along with the dates “1603 – 1903” with the denomination at the bottom.

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com