2024 First-Class Forever Stamp,Madonna and Child

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US #5490
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... more

US #5490
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
Quantity Issued: 210,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Booklet of 20, from plates of 800

Why the stamp was issued: This Traditional Christmas stamp was issued for use on holiday mail in the 2024 season.

About the stamp design: The image on the stamp is from the painting, Madonna and Child, produced in the workshop of Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as “Sassoferrato.” The stamp was designed by Greg Breeding

First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony for the Madonna and Child stamp, along with the contemporary Christmas stamp, took place at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. Another ceremony took place on September 17 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. This is where a version of the original painting that inspired the stamp is housed.

About the Traditional Christmas Series: In 1966, the Post Office issued its first Madonna and Child stamp, a 15th century painting by Flemish painter Hans Memling. The stamp was very popular and over 1.1 billion were printed. This led the Post Office to issue another traditional Christmas stamp in 1968, this time picturing the Angel Gabriel. In 1969, they went back to more contemporary holiday subjects before finally deciding in 1970 to issue one Traditional Christmas stamp and one Contemporary Christmas stamp. Their decision proved popular and they’ve continued to issue both Traditional and Contemporary Christmas stamps ever since.

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.

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