Sven Ewert (1895-1959) engraved most Swedish stamps
during their classic heyday, and all Swedish engravers since have seen him as
an inspiration.
Ewert
started out as a student of the engraver Ferdinand Schirnböck, who was a
teacher in Vienna, Austria from 1906 to 1916. Schirnböck had also engraved some
Swedish stamps, notably the 1910 Gustav V definitives. After his thorough
education, Ewert worked for a number firms before he established himself as a freelance engraver.
Ewert started working for the Swedish Post in 1923. At the time the Swedish Post seemed to have a preference for foreign engravers, so Ewert became the first 'home-grown' engraver to dominate the philatelic scene.
Ewert started working for the Swedish Post in 1923. At the time the Swedish Post seemed to have a preference for foreign engravers, so Ewert became the first 'home-grown' engraver to dominate the philatelic scene.
Although
Ewert's first job involved engraving postmarks, his talents were soon noted
and he could move on to stamp engraving. His first real stamp engraving dates
from 1928. He has done some work before then, but that was more when existing
designs were issued with new values. For example Ewert did some auxiliary
engraving work on the Posthorn and Gustav V definitives of the mid 1920s. He
also worked on a whole new die for the 10 öre violet Lion stamp of 1924.
Ewert's
first 'proper' engraved stamp issue dates from 1928. Five values in a single
design were issued to mark the Swedish king's 70th birthday. A non-mentioned
surcharge was payable in aid of his Cancer Research Fund.
Ewert's status was soon clear when he was allowed to have his initials included in his 1931 stamp depicting the Royal Palace in Stockholm; the first time the Swedish post issued a stamp with an artist's 'signature' included! By then, Ewert was the only engraver in the employ of the Swedish Post. He would remain their sole engraver for some three decades until, in the 1950s, his pupil Arne Wallhorn started
taking on official engraving work as well.
Ewert's
portfolio for Sweden includes many well-known Swedish personalities, the
engravings of whom benefit immensely from Ewert's accuracy. A beautiful example
of his portrait work is the 1938 issue marking the 250th birth anniversary of
the Swedish theologian and scientist Emanuel Swedenborg. Another of his portrait stamps which have received more than the usual praise, is that of the archaeologist Oscar Monterlius, on a stamp issue of 1943, marking the centenary of the man's birth. Here, Ewert managed to create a very soft and intimate portrait, resulting in a very noble portrait.
On
the other side of the spectrum we find his engraving of the Small Arms
definitives, introduced in Sweden in 1939. Many Swedes still regard this the
most timeless and classy stamp ever issued in their country. In fact, it was so
popular, that the series remained in circulation for many years after Ewert's
death in 1959, which meant that a number of new values had to be engraved by
other engravers.
One
of Ewert's other iconic Swedish definitives is the series introduced in 1951,
portraying the new king of Sweden: Gustav VI Adolf. It was not the easiest of
engravings to execute. While his initial engraved die was deemed successful,
the printers found it surprisingly hard to find colours which would not be
detrimental to the engraving and the design as a whole.
After
a short period, Ewert was asked to engrave a new die. It is easily
distinguishable from the original die, because of the background engraving. The
background of the original die consists of horizontal lines, whereas that of
the new die consists of cross-hatched lines. Another easy giveaway is that on
the new die, Ewert's initials have been included in the bottom-right corner.
However,
this second die proved even less satisfactory. Because of all the changes, the
portrait had lost its sculpture-like appearance. This resulted in very flat
printings. This die was therefore only used for a couple of values, issued in
1957, and the printers once again asked for a new die.
Unfortunately
for Ewert, he passed away while still working on that third die. The work was
taken over by Czeslaw Slania who finished the third and final die for this
series.
In
1937, Ewert engraved a test stamp which, together with that of Slania's test
stamp, has become a well-known item in his portfolio, if only because they're
so widely available to collectors in so many different guises. The engraving is
that of a woman's head, based on an original 19th century engraving
by J. Deininger. Ewert added his initials in the bottom corners, while the date
1937 refers to the year the Swedish post bought the Goebel printing press for
which this test stamp was engraved.
The stamp would remain in use for quite some time
and was even used for the following WIFAG printing press which the Swedes acquired
in 1949. For that press, only coils and booklet formats were trialled, and not
counter sheets.
Sven
Ewert did not only engrave stamps for Sweden, he also engraved for Denmark. In
fact, his final ever stamp engraving was for Denmark, the 1959 single design
issue marking the 60th birthday of King Frederick IX. Ewert's first stamp
for Denmark was issued in 1945; a set of three single-design stamps marking the
75th birthday of King Christian X.
The
Danish stamp designer Viggo Bang, who had just burst onto the scene but would
go on to dominate Danish stamp design during the 1950s, was very impressed with
Ewert's work, especially his portrait engravings. Bang therefore recommended
Ewert to the Danish postal authorities, when that 1945 set was being prepared.
It
would be the start of a close and very successful collaboration between the two
artists. One of their best known works is the 1948 Danish definitive design,
portraying King Frederik IX. As with the Swedish definitives of 1951, though, a
number of dies exist which show that the two worked constantly on improving the
stamp.
The
original type, which was only used on the 20 öre red of February 1948, can be
identified because the left hand side of the king's face does not have an
outline. The second type, which was only used for a few values, does show a
clear outline on that side of the king's face. The third type, which was used
for most values, including all values of 35 öre and up, shows differences in
the tunic. Type II had a tunic made up of single lines, whereas on Type III
double lines were used. If anything, this work shows how perfectionist Sven
Ewert was; a trait he was known for even then.
Sven Ewert passed away on 11 August 1959.