Issue date: 02 Jan, 2010
The stamp depicts a painting by J. Carrero featuring a Spanish beach with a horse galloping on the shore and a woman facing the sea, holding carnation flowers and wearing a Manila shawl.
The beach, the Spanish horse, the carnations and the Manila shawl which illustrate this issue are all representative elements of Spanish tourism and often feature in press and television advertising. Spain is one of the most important and sought after tourist destination with its sunny beaches, handicrafts, beautiful and skilled horses, fiestas and traditional rituals, with carnation flowers adding their colourful stroke and the warmth of the Spanish people. All these elements have contributed in making Spain an attractive tourist destination.
Our many wonderful beaches with an exceptional climate, the beauty and skill of the Spanish horse forever present in festivals and shows all over Spain, the colours and aroma of our rich flora, represented in this stamp by carnations and finally the Manila shawl are all characteristic elements of tourism in Spain. The Manila shawl is an accessory for dresses very popular amongst the court ladies in the XIX century and was used as a complement and as a way of keeping warm. It has always been a key element in Spanish costumbrism painting and a much treasured piece of handicraft.
It is therefore with great skill that artist J. Carrero has depicted in one painting all these visual icons characteristic of tourism in Spain.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.