After the war, he did
manage to return to Italy to finish his studies. Back in France he settled down
to married life and a career in commercial engraving. Only in the late 1920s
did he finally take steps to find a better outlet for his creative skills, and
he managed to become involved in the engraving of banknotes and postage stamps.
Jules Piel’s first stamp was a French stamp portraying
Victor Hugo, issued in 1933. Then there
was no stopping him, as he embarked on a much lauded career as a stamp
engraver. His obvious talent soon earned him national recognition. In as early
as 1935 he was given the title “Un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” (one of
the best craftsmen in France). The laurels would become ever more elaborate,
with Piel receiving the national order of the Légion d’Honneur in 1937 and
again in 1947, but this time of a higher rank, and the Ordre Nationale de
Merité in 1976.
Jules Piel continued engraving stamps when France was
occupied during the years of the Second World War. In fact, he was one of the
most prolific stamp engravers during that time. His most iconic stamp of that
time was a stamp set portraying Marshall Pétain, issued in 1941.
Among his extensive oeuvre - he engraved over 150 stamps for
France alone, and many more for the French colonies and other countries - the
ones that really stand out are the annual Red Cross stamps. From 1950 onwards,
France has issued an annual set of stamps with a surcharge for the Red Cross. All issues were engraved by Jules Piel, up to
and including 1966, which was the last year Piel was employed as an engraver.
When studying these Red Cross stamps, it becomes clear why Piel’s
engravings were –and still are - so loved and appreciated by both fellow
engravers and the general public. The exquisiteness of Piel’s work is his ability to make his
subjects ooze warmth and charm. This comes to the fore on stamps such as the 1954 French issue portraying the French
Postmaster General Lavallette and the beautiful engraving of Princess Grace and
Princess Caroline on the 1958 Monaco issue to mark the birth of prince Albert. But
Jules Piel also managed to depict tourist scenes in a most pleasing manner.
Popular examples of these are the 1938 stamp depicting the Papal Palace in
Avignon and the town of Carcassonne,
from the same set.
Jules Piel was also allowed to engrave various Marianne
definitives, which is usually regarded as the greatest honour for a French
engraver. He engraved no less than three different Mariannes. The first one was
the Marianne de Muller set introduced in 1955, followed in 1959 by the Marianne
à la Nef stamp, and finally Piel engraved the Marianne de Decaris stamp of 1960.
Unfortunately all these Marianne stamps were printed in typography. A final
definitive Jules Piel engraved, also to be printed in typography, was the 1960 bicoloured
version of the famous Sower stamp.
This article was first published in Stamp and Coin Mart of January 2012 and is reproduced with their kind permission.
STAMPS
1932
1933
French Morocco, Definitives
Monaco, Definitives
1935
Mali Federation, West Indies Tercentenary
1936
France, Daudet's mill
France, Children of the unemployed fund
France, Pilatre de Rozier
France, Roget de Lisle
France, Jaures
Indo-China, Definitives
Ivory Coast, Definitives, Camoé Rapids design
1937
Algeria, Exhibition
Algeria, Capture of Constantine
France, International exhibition
France, Postal workers sports fund
Lebanon, Definitives
1938
Cameroun, Cancer fund
Dahomey, Cancer fund
France, Shipwrecked mariners society
France, Pictorial definitives
France, Infantry monument fund
France, Anti-cancer fund
France, radio for the blind
French Equatorial Africa, Cancer fund
French Guiana, Cancer fund
French Guinea, Cancer fund
French Indian Settlements, Cancer fund
French Polynesia, Cancer fund
French Sudan, Cancer fund
French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, Cancer fund
Guadeloupe, Cancer fund
Indo-China, Cancer fund
Ivory Coast, Cancer fund
Madagascar, Cancer fund
Mali Federation, Cancer fund
Mauritania, Cancer fund
New Caledonia, Cancer fund
St. Pierre et Miquelon, Anti-cancer fund
1939
Algeria, World fair
France, Children of the unemployed fund
France, Military engineers
France, PTT orphans fund
France, Unemployed intellectuals fund
France, Birth-rate development fund
France, Postal museum fund
French Morocco, Definitives
Monaco, Definitives
Monaco, National relief
1940
France, Overseas propaganda fund
France, War charities
France, War victims fund
France, National relief fund
1941
France, Marshal Pétain
France, National relief fund
Monaco, National relief fund
1942
Cameroun, Imperial Fortnight
France, André Blondel
France, National relief fund
French Equatorial Africa, Imperial Fortnight
French Guiana, Imperial Fortnight
French Guinea, Imperial Fortnight
French Indian Settlements, Imperial Fortnight
French Oceanic Settlements, Imperial Fortnight
French Somali Coast, Imperial Fortnight
Guadeloupe, Imperial Fortnight
Indo-China, Imperial Fortnight
Indo-China Post Offices in China - Kwamchow, Imperial Fortnight
Inini, Imperial Fortnight
Madagascar, Imperial Fortnight
Martinique, Imperial Fortnight
Monaco, Airmail
New Caledonia, Imperial Fortnight
Réunion, Imperial Fortnight
St. Pierre et Miquelon, Imperial Fortnight
Togo, Imperial Fortnight
Wallis & Futuna Islands, Imperial Fortnight
1943
France, Prisoners families relief fund
1944
France, Admiral de Tourville
1945
France, Liberation of Strasbourg
France, Devastated towns
1946
France, National relief fund
Monaco, Airmail
Monaco, Roosevelt
1947
France, UPU congress
France, Jamboree
Monaco, Centenary Exhibition
Tunisia, Definitives
1948
France, National relief fund
France, UN assembly
French Polynesia, Definitives
Monaco, Stamp day
Monaco, Olympic games
Monaco, Bosio
Saar, Definitives
1949
France, National relief fund
French Morocco, UPU
Monaco, Albert I
1950
French Morocco, Definitive
1951
France, Bimillenary of Paris
France, Red cross
Saar, Red cross
1952
Algeria, Definitives
Algeria, Médaille militaire
France, Red cross
Saar, Olympics
Saar, Fair
Saar, National relief fund
1953
France, Sports
France, Red cross
Saar, Tholey abbey fund
1954
France, Industry and literary figures
France, Air
France, Lavallette
France, Views
France, Red cross
Monaco, Ozanam, 1f and 15f values (5)
Saar, Red cross
Vietnam, Definitives, 40c to 80c (5)
1955
French Morocco, Definitives
Monaco, Jules Verne
1956
France, Franco-Latin American friendship
France, Sports
France, Europa
France, Red cross
Monaco, Philatelic exhibition
Monaco, Wedding
Saar, National relief fund
1957
France, Famous men
France, Court of accounts
France, Public works
France, Red cross
1958
France, Brussels exhibition
France, Red cross
Monaco, Birth of Prince Albert
Monaco, Virgin Mary
Tunisia, Sixth anniversary of exile of President Bourguiba
1959
Central African Republic, First Anniversary of republic
France, Treaty of the Pyrénées
France, Perpignan castle
France, Red cross
Monaco, Princess Grace clinic
Monaco, UNESCO building
Monaco, Royal couple
Monaco, Flowers
1960
France, Red cross
Laos, King's funeral
Monaco, Definitives
Monaco, First stamp
Monaco, Oceanographic museum
Tunisia, President Bourguiba
Vietnam, Red cross
1961
France, Red cross
Mali Republic, Presidential definitives
Monaco, Motor cars
Vietnam, President's second term
1962
France, Europa
France, Red cross
Monaco, Scientific centre
Monaco, Birds protection
Vietnam, Malaria eradication
1963
France, Stamp day
France, EEC celebrities
France, Red cross
Monaco, Red cross
Monaco, Postal conference
Monaco, Ecumenical council
Monaco, Pierre de Couberlin
1964
France, President Coty
France, Philatec 1964
France, Georges Mandel
France, Red cross
Monaco, Olympics
1965
France, Red cross
Monaco, ITU
Senegal, Postal services commemoration
1966
France, Chess festival
France, Red cross
Monaco, Palace
Monaco, Oceanographic history congress
Senegal, World festival of negro arts
OTHER PHILATELIC ENGRAVINGS
1943
France, Damnation of Faust non-postal label for 'Paris 1944' souvenir sheet
NON-PHILATELIC ENGRAVINGS
1932
French Indochona, back of 20p banknote P56 and back of 500p banknote P57 (3)
1934
France, 500f banknote P82 (1)
1937
France, front of 5000f banknote P91 (3)
1941
France, 5000f banknote P103 (2)
1943
French West Africa, front of 1000f banknote P42 and front of 5000f banknote P43 (3)
1945
France, Back of 1000f banknote P130, 5000f banknote P131 and front of 10,000f banknote P132 (1,3)
1947
French Indochina, back of 100p banknote P82 (3)
Réunion, Front of 5000f banknote P48 (3)
1953
France, front of 500f banknote, 1000f, 5000f banknotes and front of 10,000f banknote, P133-136 (1,3,4)
French Indochina, 200p banknote P98 and Bao Dai portrait on 200p banknote P109 (1,3)
1959
France, 50f banknote P143 and 500f banknote P145 (1,3)
1962
France, 10f, 50f and 100f banknotes P147-P149 (1,2)
Notes:
(1) The International Engraver's Line - Gene Hessler
(2) Wikipedia
(3) frenchbanknotes.com website
(4) banknotes.com website
(5) Collecting by engraver - Stampcommunity website
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