Holiday Traditional: Bartolomeo Vivarini’s Madonna and Child
Since 1966, with the issuance of a five-cent stamp featuring the Madonna and Child by Hans Memling, these traditional Christmas stamps have attracted a devoted following. The 1999 design is based on a detail from Venetian artist Bartolomeo Vivarini’s masterpiece Madonna and Child, circa 1475. This tempera-on-wood-panel painting is considered one of his more important works.