Description:
On February 15, 2001, Vatican City issued four stamps featuring images of fifteenth-century Sistine Chapel frescoes, which recently underwent restoration. The stamps represent the second part of a series that began the previous year and concluded in 2002.
The stamps are horizontal, measure 56 x 30.8 mm, and have a perforation of 11 1/2 x 11 3/4. The words CITTA DEL VATICANO are visible at the left side of each stamp. The Papal Crown and Crossed Keys, the name of the fresco depicted, and the value in both lire and euros appear at the right. The words CAPELLA SISTINA appear in the upper left corner. The values and subjects are as follows:
800-lire - Pietro Penzgino, The Baptism of Christ
1,200-lire - Cosimo Rossellli, The Passage of the Red Sea
1,500 lire - Sandre Botticelli, The Punishment of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
4,000 lire - Cosimo Rosselli, The Sermon on the Mount
Helio Courvoisier of Switzerland printed the stamps in sheets of ten using rotogravure process. The total printing was 450,000 complete series.
Reference: Crimando, Thomas. "Restored Sistine Chapel Masterpieces of the Fifteenth Century." Vatican Notes 49, no. 5 (March 2001): 4.
Date: February 15, 2001
Medium: paper; ink (multicolored)/ photogravure
Museum ID: W.2008-275
Place: VATICAN CITY (independent city state)
