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Christmas 1986
The postage stamp commemorating Christmas 1986 shows a nativity scene from the collection of the Schlierbach Monastery, which was carved from limewood by Johann Georg Schwanthaler. The relief, kept behind glass and measuring 22 x 31 cm., is surrounded by a frame carved from wood. It reveals a reverent, conventional portrayal of the Christmas event as one traditionally imaged it. Johann Georg Schwanthaler belonged to a famous family of artists in the Innviertel which produced seven generations of wood-carvers and sculptors. He belonged to the fifth generation, and was born the oldest son of Franz Mathias on January 26, 1740 in Aurolzmünster. First he went with his father to the town of Ried in the Innviertel. Then he most likely worked in Wels under the sculptor Ignaz Mähl, whose daughter he married in 1765. After that he started his own business in Gmunden. Schwanthaler is credited with the Great Church Nativity Scene in Altmünster. In addition, altarpieces by the artist can be found in Kematen on the Krems River and in Schöndorf. He died on September 23, 1810 in Gmunden.
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