door The collaborating postal companies in Europe have been issuing stamps with a common theme for over 65 years. Since 2002, this issue has been associated with a design competition: the EUROPA stamp best design competition. The competition is organised by PostEurop, the organisation in which all European national postal companies collaborate. The theme for the common European stamp issue for 2025 is ‘National Archaeological Discoveries’. In response to this theme, PostNL will issue the stamp sheet Fibula of Dorestad on 9 May 2025. The six identical stamps bear the denomination international 1 for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination. The price for a sheet with six stamps is €11.40.
SUBJECT
One of the most famous archaeological finds in our country is the 8.5 cm fibula of Dorestad. The cloak pin was made around 800 AD. In 1969, the fibula was found in a well from the time of Dorestad, where Wijk bij Duurstede is now located. During the reign of Charlemagne of the Franks (768-814), Dorestad was the largest and richest trading city in the Netherlands. The golden fibula is inlaid with various colours of glass, gemstones of almandine, pearls, and enamel. Over time, some stones have disappeared, as has the pin on the back. Various shapes can be recognised in the inlay work, such as crosses, volutes, and a small tree with leaves and fruits. The crosses of the gemstones and pearls probably indicate that the brooch was worn as subtle propaganda for the increasingly popular Christianity in the Netherlands. Round fibulae were mainly worn by ladies, and especially high-ranking ladies promoted the new faith. The style of the fibula of Dorestad is that of ecclesiastical goldsmithing, made in Burgundian workshops from the time of Charlemagne. The fibula, one of the masterpieces of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, is included in the Canon of the Netherlands under the theme Charlemagne.
Source: Willemsen (ed.), Masterpieces from the National Museum of Antiquities, 2020; Overduin and Van de Sande (eds.), Brilliant Jewel, 2008.
DESIGN
The stamp sheet Fibula of Dorestad contains six identical stamps, with the three stamps on the right rotated 180 degrees compared to the three stamps on the left. Each stamp features the fibula on the right side against a white background. The text with the name of the fibula, its age, and the place of discovery runs in a circle around the round cloak pin. On the left side of the stamp, the fibula is depicted again, but in a smaller size. This image continues onto the tabs. The smaller fibula is surrounded by a graphic interpretation of the geometric pattern of the inlay work. In the same way as with the large fibula, text runs in a circle around the small fibula. The text on the tabs is the title of the issue, separated by the Priority sticker. The text on the stamp contains the postal details: the country of issue, the international destination, and the year of issue. At the bottom of the stamp are the PostNL logo and the denomination 1. The sorting hook is located at the top right. On the black sheet border, part of the fibula is depicted at actual size. Around this image runs a text explaining the history, the archaeological find, and the significance of the fibula. The title of the issue, the texts about the fibula, and the geometric pattern are printed in gold.
TYPOGRAPHY
For the texts on the stamps and the sheet border, the sans-serif Objektiv MK2 (2015-2024) from the Dalton Maag bureau in London was used. The subtitle A jewel full of history is set in a different font: the serif Baskerville URW Regular Italic (2019) from URW Type Foundry in Hamburg, inspired by the letters of the English type designer John Baskerville (1706-1775).
DESIGNER
The stamp sheet Fibula of Dorestad was designed by Studio Maud van Rossum from Amsterdam. Van Rossum previously designed stamps for PostNL with a historical perspective, including Keukenhof 75 years (2024), 200 years Mauritshuis (2022), and The first atlases (2020). Her latest stamp design focuses on archaeological finds, in relation to the theme ‘National Archaeological Discoveries’ for the PostEurop stamps of 2025.
Archaeology on the map
Van Rossum started her search for a subject for the stamps on archaeologyopdekaart.nl. The website of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden provides extensive information in words and images about hundreds of finds from the Dutch soil. “Extremely interesting,” says Van Rossum. “But most of the visual material I found there turned out to be insufficient in visual terms to use on stamp format. I quickly concluded that I had to look for an object that appeals to people, with which they can identify, and preferably also a masterpiece. This naturally led to jewellery. This idea was further reinforced by the books Verhaal van Gelderland, to which I contributed as a designer. The first part features an image of a Merovingian bead necklace from a 6th-century burial ground at Lentseveld. With a beautiful infographic by Frédérik Ruys, it is shown where all the beads in that necklace come from. From the far corners of the then-known world, even as far as India. This shows what a piece of jewellery can tell about the trade relations that already existed at that time. A wonderful story, something that brings archaeology to life.”
From Rhenen to Dorestad
Van Rossum’s search for jewellery for the stamps eventually led her to the Fibula of Dorestad. “Not directly, though,” she says. “I took some detours. For example, by looking at whether I could do something with loose beads like in Verhaal van Gelderland. But that didn’t work on a stamp. I also made sketches of the fibulae of Rhenen, 6th-century cloak pins found in women’s graves. But when I saw the Fibula of Dorestad, I knew I had found my piece of jewellery. The ones from Rhenen are beautiful, but not as beautiful as the one from Dorestad. This fibula has previously been depicted on a stamp, on the stamp sheet 200 years National Museum of Antiquities from 2018.”
Searching for symmetry
In developing her design concept, Van Rossum initially assumed that the fibula was perfectly symmetrical. “Then I could let the image run from one stamp to another. The two halves had to be identical because I had to make six identical stamps. But the fibula is not perfectly symmetrical at all. It is handmade, and moreover, a few stones have disappeared over time. As an alternative, I looked at whether I could split the fibula in half and then mirror it so that it could run as large as possible from one stamp to another. This phase also produced the geometric pattern on the stamp, an interpretation of the fibula’s design language. But by mirroring, I would distort the truth too much. Therefore, I chose a different approach, with a large fibula on the right side of the stamp and a small fibula on the left that continues onto the tab. The pattern moved to the left, to the small fibula, as extra decoration. It also shows how the fibula would look if you removed all the decorative and precious stones, pearls, and enamel.”
The goldest gold
The images on the stamps are based on photographic material from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. “The quality of that photo was excellent,” says Van Rossum. “The photographer had used a black background, so you couldn’t see that it was an openwork piece of jewellery. Lithographer Marc Gijzen made the photo freestanding so you can now see through it. This also adds more depth to the image. I chose a white background for the stamps themselves, while the sheet border and tabs are deep black. This makes the gold sparkle even more. For the texts and the pattern, an extra print layer with PMS 871 was used, the goldest gold you can find in the PMS swatch. The resulting image does justice to this beautiful cloak pin. It’s incredible that such a beautiful item from the year 800 still makes such a big impression on everyone.”
Missing gemstone
The stamp sheet features the Fibula of Dorestad three times, twice on the stamp and once on the sheet border. The image on the sheet border shows the actual size of the fibula, with a diameter of 8.5 cm. Van Rossum: “That is too large to fit entirely on the sheet border, hence only part of it is shown. Originally, there were four large gemstones of almandine on the edge of the fibula. Only three remain. It was obvious not to place the part of the fibula with the missing stone on the sheet border. For the same reason, I adjusted the orientation of the small fibula on the stamps. You can see that it is rotated a quarter turn to the left compared to the large fibula. This placed the part with the missing almandine gemstone on the tab, where it is less noticeable due to the black background.”
Circular Texts
The circular shape of the fibula is not only reflected in the graphic pattern on the left side of the stamp but also in the typography. “I wanted to tell people what they see when they hold the stamps, both on the sheet border and on the stamp,” says Van Rossum. “It makes sense to let the text follow the curve of all three fibulae. This way, the typography becomes an integral part of the design concept. This required some creativity in composing the text to get a nicely filled circle. The font is also crucial. When you set letters in a circular shape, they quickly touch each other. I used a sans-serif font, the Objektiv MK2, a straightforward typeface. This made it possible to adjust the space around the letters and the spaces between the words so that the text remains readable in a circular form.”
About the Designer
Studio Maud van Rossum is a graphic design studio based in Amsterdam. The studio has a content-oriented approach. The client and subject are central in the search for the ideal form for a project. The design is understated, precise, and serviceable, with typography as the guiding thread. Creativity goes hand in hand with a practical approach. Not only design but also text editing, image editing, materialisation, planning, and production are handled with care. Studio Maud van Rossum specialises in book design and works for publishers such as Athenaeum Polak & Van Gennep, Boom, Lecturis, nai010, Plantage, Thoth, and museums such as Boijmans van Beuningen, the Bonnefanten, Van Bommel van Dam, the Cuypershuis, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
For PostNL, Van Rossum designed the stamps Keukenhof 75 years (2024), Sail Den Helder (2023), 200 years Mauritshuis (2022), Queen Máxima 50 years (2021), and The first atlases (2020). Together with Piet Gerards, she previously made the stamps World Heritage Netherlands (2014), Inauguration Willem-Alexander (2013), and Heemschut 100 years (2011).
After studying at Sint Lucas in Boxtel (1992-1996), Maud van Rossum (Venlo, 1974) continued her education in graphic design at the ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem (1996-2000). There, she was taught by, among others, Gerard Schilder, Thomas Widdershoven, and Pieter Hildering. In 2000, she joined Piet Gerards Ontwerpers, where she designed numerous books. From 1 July 2018, Maud van Rossum took over Piet Gerards Ontwerpers and continued it under her own name.
SALES/VALIDITY
The stamps are available while stocks last from 9 May 2025 at post offices in Bruna stores and via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. They can also be ordered by phone from the customer service of Collect Club at 088 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
VALUE
The stamps Fibula of Dorestad bear the denomination ‘international 1’, intended for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination. A sheet of 6 stamps costs €11.40.
TECHNISCHE GEGEVENS
Stamp size 36 x 25 mm
Sheet size 108 x 150 mm
Paper normal with phosphor coating
Gumming gummed
Printing technique offset
Printing colours cyan, magenta, yellow, black, blue and gold (PMS 871)
Print run 75,000 sheets
Appearance sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs
Denomination 1 voor post tot en met 20 gram met een internationale bestemming
Design Studio Maud van Rossum, Amsterdam
Photography Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden
Lithography Marc Gijzen, Voorburg
Printing company Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number 450561
SUMMARY
Issue: Fibula of Dorestad
Issue date: 9 May 2025
Appearance: Sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs, with denomination of international 1 for mail up to 20 grams sent with an international destination
Item number: 450561
Design: Studio Maud van Rossum
Photography: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden
Lithography: Marc Gijzen, Voorburg
COPYRIGHT © 2025 Koninklijke PostNL BV
