CEF philatelic sheet André Masson The Pythia canceled stamp France

AFW - Antique France Worldwide

Description

This illustrated philatelic sheet, from the CEF edition, honors André Masson and his work "La Pythie". The visible side presents a meticulous composition, typical of French commemorative sheets, combining biographical text, artistic illustration, and a philatelic block. On the left side, there is a detailed text tracing the life and career of the artist, printed in black on a white background.

The main illustration occupies the right side of the sheet and depicts a stylized portrait of André Masson, accompanied by graphic elements evoking his artistic universe, notably a color palette in shades of brown, beige, and sepia, as well as a paintbrush. The illustrator's signature, Chane Ballan, is legible at the bottom right of the image.

At the bottom right of the sheet is a 5.00 franc French postage stamp, illustrated with a Masson artwork, accompanied by a "First Day" cancellation (round stamp) dated October 16, 1984, in Paris. The stamp bears the inscription "ANDRÉ MASSON – LA PYTHIE" and the postmark repeats the same mentions. The presentation in a perforated plastic sleeve (visible on the left) is characteristic of CEF sheets and ensures the document's protection.

The sheet bears the reference "N° 748 du catalogue CEF" printed at the top left, as well as the individual number 7237 (bottom left), which attests to its authenticity within a limited edition. Additional information on the edge specifies a limited edition of 30,000 copies. The main colors of the ensemble are white, black, brown and beige tones, with touches of brighter colors on the stamp.

Condition

Used item, sold as is. The visible sheet shows good overall preservation, with no apparent major signs of wear on the visible side. The plastic sleeve shows slight handling marks, without notable alteration to the internal document.

Did you know? André Masson (1896-1987) was one of the main representatives of French Surrealism, exploring painting, automatic drawing, and illustration. CEF sheets (Courrier d’Entreprise à la Française) are highly prized for their print quality and documentary value, with each issue being limited and often accompanied by an official "First Day" cancellation.

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Keywords: philatelic sheet, CEF, André Masson, La Pythie, France stamp, first day cancellation, philatelic document, FDC, philately, commemorative stamp, limited edition, surrealism, first day cover