Question about 24b Mutawakelite Kingdom of Yemen airmail stamp

[zephyrcat13]

I have a 24b "Mutawakelite Kingdom of Yemen" airmail stamp that I can find no information about. It is not in the Scott catalog (2002 edition) nor can I find any info about it on the Internet. The stamp is approximately 37mm by 50mm, is perforated, and shows a nude sitting on a bed with her backside showing. There is a caption on the left side that says "Dominique Ingres 1780-1867." The face value says "Airmail 24 bogshans" on the middle left of the stamp and the same written in Arabic on the middle right side of the stamp. Internet sites all use the word "Mutawakklite," in discussing the kingdom, but the stamp clearly spells the word "Mutawakelite."

If anyone can point me in the right direction with any information concerning this stamp, I would greatly appreciate it.

[wycombe1]

It is most probably a fake item. The clue is in the word 'nude'. I doubt if a Muslim entity would ever authorise the depiction of a nude female on an official postage stamp. There were literally masses of fake items produced for various Gulf states (and other countries as well) that were designed to rip off the unwary. Some are listed as @appendix' issues in some catalogues so have some kind of dubiuos validity. Those totally unlisted are usually out and out fakes.

[gbsbks2010]

Looks like it was issued in 1968 or 1969 as there were Paintings by European and American Artists stamps issued by "Royalists".

These stamps were issued to raise money, but not necessarily available to the general public for postal use and so are not generally listed in stamp catalogues.