Traditional Christmas Series

The 1987 traditional Christmas issue features the Madonna and Child from a larger painting by the Italian Renaissance artist, Giovanni Battista Moroni.  Named “A Gentleman in Adoration Before the Badona, the 1560 painting is part of the collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Even in 17th-century Bologna, Italy, which was known for its intellectual and artistic women, the talent of Elisabetta Sirani was considered unusual. Remarkably gifted, young Sirani learned to paint in her father’s studio, where she studied under Guido Reni, one of the most influential painters of her day.  This was the first year the traditional Christmas stamp featured work by a woman artist.

1995’s traditional Christmas stamp is based upon the work of one of the most influential painters in history, the Florentine artist Giotto di Bondone. Created during the 14th century, in the latter part of his career, the painting, entitled Enthroned Madonna and Child, was executed on the central portion of a five-section polyptych, or altarpiece. In the painting the Madonna offers a white rose to the Christ Child. This exquisite masterpiece is now a part of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

In 1712, Paolo de Matteis completed this oil painting for the Duchess of Laurenzano, a leading patron of the arts in Naples. Noted for the vibrant formal style typical of the late baroque period of Naples, it is considered a masterpiece by historians of Neapolitan art.

The image on the stamp is a 15th-century sculpture created by an unknown artist in Florence, Italy. The painted and gilded terra cotta statue portrays the Christ Child being held by his mother. It is in the Italian Renaissance Gallery at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Bartolomeo Vivarini’s painting “Madonna and Child” is featured in the 1999 Traditional Christmas postage stamp issued by the United States. The Vivarini family, whose original surname was da Murano, included several artists who operated an important workshop in Venice during the 15th century.

This Holiday Traditional stamp features a detail from a painting by Italian Renaissance artist Lorenzo Costa. Painted in oil on a panel, “Virgin and Child” is in the John G. Johnson Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Featuring artwork by Jan Gossaert, a Renaissance artist from the Netherlands, the design was originally supposed to be used in 2000. However, the Postal Service chose to hold it until after the rate increase of 2002. Gossaert brought the influence of ancient Roman architecture to Northern Flemish painting.

Jan Gossaert’s “Madonna and Child” (circa 1520) appeared on both the 2002 and 2003 traditional Christmas issues. The painting is currently held at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The 2004 traditional Christmas stamp displays Lorenzo Monaco’s lovely Madonna and Child (1413), painted in tempera on panel from a collection in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

In 2006, the traditional holiday stamp features Madonna and Child with Bird, attributed to Peruvian artist Ignacio Chacón and painted around 1765. The oil-on-canvas work is part of the Engracia and Frank Barrows Freyer Collection of Peruvian colonial art at the Denver Museum.

The 2007 traditional Christmas stamp was reproduced from The Madonna of the Carnation, a painting by Bernardino Luini (circa 1480-1532). Luini was a student of Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, and his work is so similar to his teacher’s that some of his art was originally credited to da Vinci. He is well known for his frescoes (paintings on plaster), which decorate many churches in and around Milan. The Madonna wears the “Luinesque” half-smile with downcast eyes, made famous by Luini.

The Madonna and Child With Angel shown on this stamp was painted by Botticelli between 1465 and 1467.  The tempera (egg mixed with pigment) on panel piece was painted for Florence’s orphanage, Spedale degli Innocenti, where it remains today.

Giovanni Sassoferrato is renowned for his paintings of the Madonna, with the majority of his works depicting her in prayer or with the baby Jesus.  Of the artist’s representations of the Madonna, one critic said, “Men grew… fond of Sassoferrato whose Madonnas, tender, lovely, carefully painted, all reveal the mother’s heart.”

The graceful style and mastery of subtle lighting seen in Madonna and Candelabra are hallmarks of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520). Along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael is considered one of the three great masters of the High Renaissance period.

The 2013 Traditional Christmas issue pictures the Virgin and Child as depicted by J. Gossaert.

The Gospel of Matthew describes visitors “from the east” following a rising star in search of a child prophesied to be the son of God. They find the child in Bethlehem and offer him the three famous gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Florence, Italy, was the center of the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century, and home to many artists.  It was a large, prosperous city heavily influenced by the Roman Catholic Church.  Famous religious figures, such as the Madonna and Child, were featured in many artist’s works, which can still be found in the city’s churches and museums.

The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas star, is an important part of the story of Jesus’ birth.  In fact, it is often featured in planetariums during the holiday season.  While some believe the star is fictional, Christianity refers to it as a miracle and a sign of Jesus’ birth.  Astronomers and historians have several theories supporting the star’s existence.