The Post Office has unveiled a set of six stamps which commemorate the work of world-renowned artist Michael Sandle, among them the iconic bronze lifeboat memorial on Douglas prom’s sunken gardens.

Mr Sandle was brought up and studied in the island and is now regarded as one of the finest sculptors in the world – with his work featuring themes of war, death and destruction.

The other one of the stamp designs which features the island is a close up of the Viking on the front façade of the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin.

The others are of The Seafarers Memorial in London, The legend of St George and the Dragon (in London), the Tate Gallery’s 20th Century War Memorial, and the The Malta Siege Bell Monument in Valetta Harbour.

Founder of the RNLI Sir William Hilary lived on the Isle of Man and built the Tower of Refuge in Douglas harbour having seen many ship wrecked on the Conister Rock. Michael’s depicted sculpture captures the drama and sheer physical effort of the crew rowing out to rescue those on the stricken ship St George in 1830. The Tower was built on the site of the wreck two years later.

Mr Sandle said: ‘I am proud of the fact that I am considered to be a Manx artist too and also feel extraordinarily fortunate to have been surrounded by the shapes, colours and ever-changing light that is special to this island when I was an emerging young artist, all of which went into my work. Now that I am a very much older and established artist I am extremely proud that the Isle of Man Post Office are issuing six stamps with examples of my work on them.

‘I feel that this means that I am now thought of as a local boy what done good!’

Stamps are available from island post offices or at www.iompost.com/stamps-coins/collection/