The Virgin with Child by Maratta

The Virgin with Child (1660) by Carlo Maratta (1625-1713)
New Zealand Stamp 3d Issued Christmas 1966
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Carlo Maratta spent the majority of his life as a well regarded artist and it said to be the last classical style artist in a long line from Raphael.   He began his career while he was young - he was born in a papal state and moved to Rome at age 11 under the care of a friend of his father who was also a secretary to the nephew of the Pope.  These good connections must have assisted in him being able to further develop his talent.  He was apprenticed by Andrea Sacchi and built a strong friendship with Giovan Bellori, who was a big art collector and influence on the art market in Rome during this period.

Some of his work was commissioned by the Pope - this is one of his earlier pieces of work in a long career.  He would proceed to large frescos later in his career under the commission of the popes from Rome to France.  The majority of his work had a religious theme, although he also completed portraits of important figures in Rome at the time.

Two Trinities by Bartolome Murillo

The Two Trinities (1682) by Bartolome Murillo
New Zealand 3d Stamp Issued Christmas 1965
National Gallery, London

Murillo (1617-1682) specialised in religious paintings as one of two leading artists in 17th Century Spain - the other being Velazquez.  This painting features two trinities - the first being the Holy Trinity of father, son and ghost, while the other is the earthly trinity of Mary, Joseph and Jesus - the holy family.  The light and mood in this painting is very striking.

Murillo faced extensive personal loss during his long life.  He outlived three wives and all but three of his nine children.  He also survived the plague that hit Seville in 1649, wiping out half the population of the city.  No wonder his work included heavenly clouds and cherubs, as it must have been a welcome way to avoid all the death and sadness on earth!

Another of Murillo's works features in a UK stamp issue in 1967: Madonna in the Clouds.

The Holy Family with A Shepherd by Titian

Holy Family with a Shepherd (1510) by Titian (1490-1576)
New Zealand 2d Stamp Issued 1963
National Gallery, London

New Zealand postal authorities selected a third painting from the National Gallery in London for inclusion in the Christmas stamps during the 1960s.  This one was in a larger format to do justice to the larger size of the underlying oil on canvas painting by Titian.  A shepherd is in adoration of the Madonna and child.  

Other Titian works that have been used in stamps:

Venus in a Mirror (1555)

St Mary Magdalene (1535)

The Madonna in Prayer by Sassoferrato

Madonna in Prayer (1609-1684) by Sassoferrato (1650)
New Zealand 2d Stamp Issued 1962 Christmas
National Gallery London

This work is rich in colour and volume with the heavy draperies of the virgin.  Sassoferrato was heavily influenced by Raphael.  Most of his work consisted of devotional religious paintings, many of which were repeated.  He was trained Umbria by his father, prior to reaching the peak of his career in Rome.

The stamp was very popular and it was awarded the Philatelic Societies of San Francisco award for the most beautiful stamp of the year.

Stamps that include works by Raphael:
Madonna and the Goldfinch (1505)
The Large Cowper Madonna (1507)
The Virgin and Child (1508)
The School of Athens (1511)

Adoration of the Magi by Albercht Durer

Adoration of the Magi (1504) - Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)
New Zealand 2d Stamp Issued 1961 Christmas
Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

This work was created by Durer during a time when he was staying in Nuremberg.  The painting is oil on wood so it is thought to have been housed in a church in earlier times.  Durer is considered to be the most important painter of the Northern Renaissance.

Much of his work has religious meaning, including a work of "Adam" which featured on a stamp that was issued by Rwanda.

School of Athens by Raphael

School of Athen by Raphael (1511)
Greece Stamp issued 1978
Vatican Museum and Galleries, Vatican City (Rome)

This stamp captures a very small part of the high renaissance style fresco, The School of Athens, which is one of Raphael’s most famous works.  It was completed to decorate the Stanza della Segnatura commission by Pope Julius II. The Stanza was the first set of rooms to be decorated, and this painting was the second in the set of paintings that adorn the walls. Although it was created for a grand room in the Vatican, nearly every one of the figures in the painting can be identified as a Greek philosopher, rather than a religious character. The fresco's position as well as the philosophers' walk in direction of the Holy Sacrament on the opposite wall suggested the interpretation of the whole room as the movement from the classical philosophy to the true religion and from the pre-Christian world to Christianity.  Raphael included the likeness of Michelangelo himself in the painting, as the philosopher Heraclitus.  The stamp series was issued to commemorate the 2,300th Anniversary of the death of Aristotle.

Raphael - Madonna and the Goldfinch

Raphael (1483-1520) - Madonna and the Goldfinch (1505)
Italy 50 lira Stamp issued 1970
Painting held in the Uffizi Gallery Florence

This painting was depicted on stamps to commemorate the 450th Anniversary of the death of Raphael.  The painting was originally given to someone as a wedding gift, before being damaged into 19 different parts during an earthquake in 1546.  It is typical of Raphael's style, with perfect geometric framing of the three figures - Mary, St John the Baptist and the little baby Jesus.  The was meticulously restored recently, only returning to the Uffizi Gallery in 2008.

Other works by Raphael:

The Large Cowper Madonna, USA

The Virgin and Child with John the Baptist, France

Raphael Self Portrait, San Marino

The Madonna and the Goldfinch has also been depicted on a stamp by the USA, but the painting was completed by Giovanni Baptista Tiepolo.

Giotto - the Ognissanti Madonna

Giotto (1266-1337) - the Ognissanti Madonna (1310)
Italy 40 lira Stamp issued 1966
Uffuzi Galley - Florence

This painting was commissioned by an obscure religious order when Giotto returned to Florence in the period around 1310.  Ognissanti refers to the church where the painting was originally housed, being the All Saints Church in Florence.  The painting is now housed in the Uffuzi Gallery in Florence.

Giotto is credited as being the first in a line of artists who kicked off the Italian Renaissance at the end of the middle ages.  Other stamps have works that are from Giotto:

Sermon on the Mount, France Stamp

Michelangelo - The Delphic Sibyl from the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo (1475-1564) - the Delphic Sibyl from the Sistine Chapel (1512)
Grenada 1c Stamp Issued 1975
Painting in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

In 1975, Grenada issued a series of stamps to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Michelangelo.  This is one of the most famous images from the Sistine Chapel, being the Delphic Sybil.  Sybils are part of Greek mythology, who were prophets in many locations in legendary tales.

It is said that Michelangelo did not enjoy the commission that was given to him - to paint the huge ceiling of the Sistine Chapel took 5 years.  However, this work is his most monumental and well regarded feat that gained him fame.

Giovanni Bellini - Madonna with Blessing Child

Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) - Madonna with Blessing Child (1480)
Mongolia 30T Stamp Issued 1972
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

Bellini was the most influential Venetian artist of the renaissance.  He was known for his paintings which moved the Madonna and Child from formal indoor settings into wide landscapes and the natural world.  This portrait is one such depiction of the madonna and child, who happens to be giving everyone a blessing.  This is typical of Bellini's work, with deep colours. 

Bellini was a major influence on other great artists of the era who have had their works depicted on other stamps:

Albrecht Durer

Titian

Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)

Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa (1506)
France Stamp Issued 2008
Painting held at the Louvre Paris

Today is the 491st anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death.  This painting needs no introduction as it is one of the greatest works from the renaissance period.  

Some interesting observations/claims from Wikipedia:

• the painting was not named until 31 years after Leonardo da Vinci's death
• it only became very famous from the 18th Century
• the painting was commissioned for a rich Florentine merchant's family to celebrate the birth of their first child;
• six million people now view the painting, which is held behind bullet proof glass in a specifically built facility within the Louvre;
• it was one of the first portrait pictures to depict the sitter in an imaginary landscape and an aerial perspective;
• it was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 by and Italian employee, who tried to sell the painting to Uffizi Gallery in Florence, after holding it in his apartment for two years.

Leonardo da Vinci also influenced a number of artists of the renaissance period who have had their works depicted on stamps:

Albrecht Durer - Adam

Raphael - The Large Cowper Madonna

Raphael - La Belle Jardiniere

Raphael - Self Portrait

Raphael (1483-1520) - Self Portrait (1506)
San Marino 70 Lira Stamp Issued
Galleria degli Uffuzi, Italy

Raphael created a body of work that is one of the greatest legacies of the renaissance period, with his work being heavily influenced by the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.  This painting was completed in the earlier stages of his career, while he was living and working in Florence.  He would later go on to create many works with unique purity, taste, refinement and excellence. Stamps have used Raphael's art, including: 

The Large Cowper Madonna, 1508

The Madonna and Child with Infant John the Baptist, 1508

He also created many familiar themes that would be copied by future artists:

Madonna and the Goldfinch - Giovanni Tiepolo

Albrecht Durer - Adam

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) - Adam (1507)
Rwanda 20c Stamp Issue
Painting Held at the Museo del Prado, Madrid

Durer was the greatest German artist of the renaissance period.  This stamp depicts on half of his Adam and Eve masterpiece from 1507 - this was the first full scale nude painting ever made by a German artist, completed when he returned to Nuremberg after living in Italy for three years.

Durer was influenced by Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, in addition to being in contact with Raphael during his lifetime. 

Lorenzo Lotto - The Nativity

Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1566) - The Nativity (1525)
USA 6c Stamp Issued 1970
Painting Held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC 

Lotto has been traditionally been placed in the Venetian School of high renaissance art, although it is said that his work was rather eccentric at times, showing a transition to the first Florentine movements and Rome mannerist paintings of the 16th Century.

As a Venetian painter, it is clear that Lotto was influenced by Bellini.  

He also worked in the same time as the following artists:

Albrecht Durer

Raphael

Titian