On October 21, 2022, the Slovak Post issued two postage stamps in the "Art" series.

This issue brought together classical and contemporary art, works by well-known Slovak artists from different periods and genres. The first stamp of the series features the painting "Saint Martin on horseback" by the famous 19th-century Slovak artist Ján Rombauer (1782 - 1849). The second stamp depicts sketches of theatrical masks and costumes for the production of "Orpheus and Eurydice", created by the modern Slovak set designer and costume designer Aleš Votava (1962 - 2001)

The artist Jan Rombauer (1782 - 1849) was born into a German family in the old town of Levoča in the Spiš region in northeastern Slovakia. His father was a skilled wood carver, and Jan showed a talent for drawing at a young age. The Dutch painter Jan Jakub Shtunder (1759–1811), who lived in Levoča, began painting with him. In 1806, at the invitation of Count August Ivanovich Ilinsky, whom he met at the resort of Bardejov, Jan Rombauer arrived in Russia, where he lived for 18 years. The talent of the young Slovak artist received universal recognition in St. Petersburg. Having become a court portrait painter, he was accepted in the circles of the Russian nobility. Orders from high-ranking dignitaries, governors, generals, and theater figures rained down on Rombauer. He worked hard and with inspiration. Jan Rombauer also taught drawing and painting at the famous boarding house Muralta. By special permission, he was engaged in copying paintings in the Hermitage. He took part in art exhibitions in St. Petersburg.

In 1824, Jan Rombauer decided to return to his homeland and settled in the city of Presov, where his two brothers lived. He continued to paint portraits of the Spis aristocracy and eminent citizens of Presov. In 1835, commissioned by the city, he created a series of portraits of members of the Lutheran college. In addition to portraits, which are remarkably realistic, he also created a large number of religious paintings for several churches in eastern Slovakia. The artist created more than 240 works, unfortunately, some of which are irretrievably lost. Many of his works are currently in the collections of the Hermitage, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Sarish Gallery in Presov and the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava.

In 1836, Jan Rombauer painted a large painting (142 x 188 cm) depicting Saint Martin on horseback. Probably it was intended for the church of St. Martin in Kapusany, for which the artist painted images for both aisles. The picture is dedicated to the well-known plot, when St. Martin gives half of his cloak to a lame beggar. Rombauer depicted Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours, as a Roman soldier on horseback. The painting has dark contours typical of Rombauer, a large church is visible in the background, and winged seraphim soar in the sky. The painting is a creatively reworked artistic embodiment of a famous legend and has no analogues in Slovakia. The canvas is kept in the collection of the Spiš Museum in Levoča.

The author of the postage stamp is the well-known Slovak engraver and artist František Horniak, who also created the first day cover and a special postmark. The illustration on the envelope is "Portrait of Jan Samuel Steinhübel from Presov" from the collection of the Slovak National Gallery, and the stamp motif was the portrait of Jan Rombauer's wife.

Source: www.pofis.sk, www.postoveznamky.sk