Raphael Sanzio
5th Centenary of His Death

Works by artist and architect Raffaello Sanzio (6 April 1483 - 6 April 1520) often appear on Vatican City stamps, as do those by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, the 'trinity' of High Renaissance artists. Yes, he died on his birthday. Art Historian Frederic Hartt writes that Raphael is often described as "the perfect High Renaissance painter. This is not difficult to understand, for in his art, noble and ideal individuals move with dignity and grace through a calm, intelligible, and ordered world. His pictures mirror Renaissance aspirations for human conduct and Renaissance goal for the human mind. He unified the movements of his figures and the spaces of his compositions into ideal structures that are integrated and harmonized. ...His mature works seem to be impelled by an energy that causes them to twist and turn gracefully and to group into oval and spherical compositions. ...At movements of drama his figures seem to radiate a superhuman calm." UFN chose Raphael's painting of 'The Transfiguration of the Lord', his final painting (1516-1520). The painting shows a transfigured Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah. The lower portion of the painting depicts the Apostles struggling to cure demonic possession, until the arrival of Jesus. The souvenir sheet contains two stamps, the €1,10 value is focused on an Apostle pointing to Jesus, while the €1,15 value is a self-portrait of Raphael from the School of Athens fresco (1509-1511). Vatican City also issued a set of Raphael Transfiguration stamps, Scott 595-600 (1976). Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1744 - 1744 Date Issued - 23 June 2020 Face Value - €1,10 €1,15 Printing Process - Offset Printer - Cartor (France) Max Printed - 45,000

(Source - 1. Vatican Notes: Volume: 68 Issue: 385 Page: 4-6 2. See Vatican Notes: Volume: 62 Issue: 360 Page: 10-15 3. Frederic Hartt, History of Italian Renaissance Art, 6th Edition. p. 479)