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Pegasus on Stamps

From the original Art on Stamps archive

According to ancient Greek myth, Pegasus was the son of Poseidon and Medusa, having sprung from the blood of Medusa as it dropped into the sea after her head was severed by Perseus. Pegasus appears again and again throughout mythology.

He was captured by Bellerophon at the water of his fountain and was ridden by him when he killed Chimera. Pegasus became the thundering horse of Zeus which is why he appears among the stars.

Pegasus was a wild and winged steed who was ultimately tamed by Bellerophon by using a golden bridle he received in a dream from Athena. Bellerophon showed disrespect to the Gods as he attempted to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus and Zeus sent an insect to sting Pegasus and Bellerophon was thrown back.

Pegasus found sanctuary on the sacred mountain, where he carried Zeus' thunderbolts and was ridden by Eos, the goddess of dawn. Pegasus became a popular subject for artists, since from under his feet sprang the sacred springs of the Muses (goddesses of inspiration) on Mount Helicon. Source: http://www.bugkid.com/pegasus/page2.html

On the first row of images we show the building of UPU's headquarter in Bene, Switzerland, and the sculpture of Pegasus, placed on this building. The second row displays the stamps issued in 1957 and in 1960 by the UPU. These stamps, still in use, can be put only on letters sent by the International Bureau in Berne. The plate and the stamps on the last row are works of the renown Swiss artist Hans Erni . The artist has overlapped the legendary image of the winged horse with the stars forming the Pegasus constellation.