| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | October 3, 2018 |
| Year | 2018 |
| Quantity | 300,000,000 |
| Denomination |
First-Class Mail Forever
|
| Denomination Value | $0.50 |
| Perforation or Dimension | 0.91 x 1.19 in./23.114 x 30.226 mm |
| Issue Location | Santa Fe, NM 87501 |
| Postal Administration | United States |
On October 3, 2018, in Santa Fe, NM, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the “Madonna and Child” by Bachiacca stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive booklet of 20 stamps. The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 3, 2018.
Five centuries ago, Francesco d’Ubertino Verdi (1494–1557), the Italian Renaissance painter known as Bachiacca, proved himself to be a versatile and popular Florentine artist. Today, his work still vividly evokes the timeless traditions of Christmas.
This Christmas stamp features a detail of Bachiacca’s oil-and-gold-on-panel painting Madonna and Child, which dates from the early 1520s, showing the Christ child clutching a bouquet of jasmine, a symbol of divine love, alongside the Virgin Mary’s profile, left shoulder, and right hand.
This painting is part of the Jack and Belle Linsky Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. William J. Gicker served as art director for this issuance, and Greg Breeding was the designer.
This stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.