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Rio Muni
Stamp Day Semi-Postals of 1961

Stamp Day Semi-Postals of 1961
Rio Muni's stamp day semi-postals of 1961 depict Bishop Juan di Ribera (1532-1611) and Diego Velázquez
of Pablo or "Pablillos" de Valladolid (1587-1648), a jester and actor in Philip IV's court.

Rio Muni was the mainland province (sharing borders with Cameroun and Gabon) that, along with the island of Fernando Po, until 1960, constituted Spanish Guinea. On October 12, 1968 it rejoined Fernando Po to form Equatorial Guinea. While separate postal issues for the two territories were being issued, seventy-two regular stamps and thirteen semi-postals were released. Although many of the stamps depict African flora and fauna and aspects of indigenous culture, others emphasize cultural connections with Spain.

That is the case for the second "Stamp Day" issue which was released in 1961. Three values of that issue depict Bishop Juan di Ribera (1532-1611) who had been canonized by Pope John XXIII on June 12, 1960. Bishop di Ribera's controversial role in promoting the expulsion of Christianized muslims known as moriscos from Spain in 1609 may have contributed to the delay of 160 years between his beatification and sainthood. The remaining value in the set depicts Diego Velázquez's painting "Portrait of a famous actor in the time of Philip IV." It portrays Pablo or "Pablillos" de Valladolid (1587-1648), a jester and actor in Philip IV's court. Lost in the stamp design are the shadows and background lighting which highlight the model in the original painting.

Map of Rio Muni
Rio Muni is situated between Cameroun and Gabon on the Gulf of Guinea.


Bibliography

"Juan de Ribera." Wikipeida: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
     28 Apr. 2017. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_Ribera.

"Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid." Wikipeida: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
     23 Dec. 2016. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Pablo_de_Valladolid.

"Rio Muni." Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue. 2015.

Rossiter, Stuart and John Flower. The Stamp Atlas. London: Macdonald and Co., 1986.


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