enluminures

08:49 Nov 12, 2012 

Thank you everyone for your help.

02:29 Nov 10, 2012 

Hello
Having read the comments and references, I think it is quite normal to describe the stamp just like you might describe any new edition of stamps eg. stamps with portraits of famous scientists.

22:11 Nov 9, 2012 

Le terme « enluminure » est souvent associé à celui de « miniature », qui vient du latin minium, désignant un rouge vermillon. Jadis, le terme s'appliquait, de préférence, aux lettres ornementales majuscules (lettrines) dessinées en rouge sur les manuscrits ; puis le rapprochement (sans fondement étymologique) avec les mots « minimum », « minuscule », s'est opéré, et la miniature a désigné les images peintes, de petite taille, comparées aux tableaux et aux peintures murales (fresques). S'appliquant à toute représentation de format réduit, le terme a donc désigné également les petites scènes peintes sur d'autres objets que les manuscrits.

+ Synonymes de enluminure :
coloriage
bariolage
miniature
illustration
planche
photographie
iconographie
image

18:22 Nov 9, 2012 

The trouble is, though... many of the other stamps on the ref. originally kindly provided by Pascale also were quoted as having 'enluminures', even though most of them didn't seem to me to have any specific 'framing'.

I fear there is more to this than meets the eye...

Here is Pascale's original ref.:

http://www.worldstampnews.com/tag/monaco/page/3/

The site is a translated one; however, looking at the actual stamps, I can see nothing that looks remotely like 'illuminations' to me, so I can't help feeling this is specialist jargon in the field.

I note that the 'enluminures' only occur on stamps that come on sheets, so I'm wondering it it in fact relates perhaps to what is printed on teh sheets around the stamps? There is just one example where the whole sheet is show, and you can clearly see that it is illustrated, although there isn't a lot that looks much like an 'illumination', though there is a sort of crest and initials.

17:44 Nov 9, 2012 

Clever of you to find that! Yes, it is.

17:34 Nov 9, 2012 

is it - Tintin? I couldn't find it to confirm my answer but this seems the standard description: special sheet with some decorative "framing".
Got him! http://www.oetp-monaco.com/index.php?route=information/infor...

17:28 Nov 9, 2012 

Thank you Kashew, I hadn't seen that. I'm still not sure it's the correct translation, though!

16:25 Nov 9, 2012 

The stamps are nothing to do with illuminated manuscripts, by the way - they depict a cartoon character

15:58 Nov 9, 2012 

I mean that I agree with Tony M's comment.

15:57 Nov 9, 2012 

I agree with the answerer.