Christmas Madonna and Child Stamps

Description

2024 Madonna and Child

2024 Traditional Christmas stamp
Features 17th century painting Madonna and Child
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Traditional Christmas
Value: 73 ¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: September 14, 2024
First Day City: Washington, DC
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Booklet of 20

History the stamp represents: During the 17th century, Sassoferrato gained popularity for his devotional paintings. His style was largely inspired by the Renaissance artists of the 15th century, particularly Raphael.

Sassoferrato was born Giovanni Battista Salvi (1609-85). As was tradition, he took his popular name from the town of his birth, Sassferrato, Italy. The artist moved to Rome during the counter Reformation, a period of renewal for the Catholic Church. This created a great demand for religious images.

For most of his career, Sassoferrato painted images of the Virgin Mary, Madonna and Child, and the Holy Family. The artist created original paintings, then he and the artists in his workshop painted hundreds of copies. While the overall compositions were the same, some details were changed, making each painting slightly different. Many of these paintings were made for private collectors. But Sassoferrato also kept a stack of completed paintings in the workshop ready to sell.

One of Salvi’s many Madonna and Child paintings appears on the 2024 Traditional Christmas stamp. It is unknown if the painting used as the basis for the stamp was painted by Sassoferrato or one of his workshop artists.