Czesław Słania (1921 - 2005)

Born 22 Oct 1921 in Czeladź, Polska

Husband of Jadwiga Monika (Przygodzka) Słania — married 9 Sep 1954 in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Died 17 Mar 2005 at age 83 in Kraków, Polska

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Heather Slania [send private message]

Biography

Czesław Słania was born on October 22, 1921 in Czeladź, Polska, son of Ignacy Słania (<1897–>1922) and Józefa Piorun (1897–~1995). He was a renowned Polish engraver and artist celebrated for his remarkable skills in stamp engraving. Słania demonstrated an early passion for art and began his artistic journey by studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. His dedication to precision and attention to detail quickly gained recognition, and he soon became one of the world's most accomplished engravers.

Słania's career reached new heights when he was appointed the official engraver for the Swedish Post in 1951, a position he held for over five decades. He engraved numerous stamps for Sweden and many other countries during his tenure, earning him international acclaim and the nickname "the Rembrandt of stamp engraving." His mastery of the intricate art form led to the creation of astonishingly detailed and lifelike portraits featured on various stamps, capturing the essence of the individuals and scenes depicted.

Czesław (32) married Jadwiga Monika Przygodzka (32) (born about 1921) on September 9, 1954 in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Throughout his illustrious career, Czesław Słania received numerous accolades and awards, including the prestigious International Philatelic Grand Prix in 1984 and the American Philatelic Society's Luff Award in 1990. His artistic legacy inspires stamp enthusiasts and collectors worldwide, leaving an indelible mark on the art of engraving and the world of philately. Czesław Słania's passion, dedication, and unrivaled talent have cemented his position as a true art and stamp design visionary.

Czesław died on March 17, 2005 in Kraków, Polska, aged 83.

Sources

• Birth Record and Marriage note: "Zawartość albumu"
  Czeladź Registry Office
  Czesław Słania Birth Record (accessed 14 March 2024)
  What happened in the town of Czeladź was on November sixteenth, nineteen hundred and twenty-one, at ten o'clock in the morning, Ignacy Slania, a thirty-three-year-old miner from Czeladź, showed up. A permanent resident of the Ożarowice commune, Będzin district, in the presence of Stanisław Furgacz, twenty-six years old and Józef Smolka, fifty-six years old, both from Czeladź, and showed us a male child born in Czeladź on the twenty-second day of October this year at eight o'clock in the evening from his wife, Józefa née Piorunów, years old twenty-four having. This child was baptized today by Father Teodor Urbański, the parish priest, and was given the name Czesław, and his godparents were Stanisław Furgacz and Teodora Gajdzik. This act was read to the investigator and witnesses and signed by us. Maintaining Civil Status Files K. Turbanski. Side note: Born (Czesław) married at the Civil Registry Office in Warsaw Śródmieście on September 9, 1954 with Przygodzka Jadwiga Monika. No. Sl II 1627/54 Czeladź on September 16, 1954.
• Czesław Słania Polish Wikipedia