550th Birth Anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci

INTRODUCTION

On 25 July 2002, the Post Office of Moldova (Poșta Moldovei) issued a series of postage stamps with the title 550th Birth Anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci. The issue comprises three stamps, on a souvenir sheet, with associated cancellation (postmark) and first day cover (FDC). The designer was Vitalie Roşca. The printing was performed by Bundesdruckerei, Germany.

ABOUT THE THEME

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (Italian pronunciation: [leoˈnardo da vˈvintʃi]; April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519, Old Style) was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. His genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man, a man of 'unquenchable curiosity' and 'feverishly inventive imagination'. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived. According to art historian Helen Gardner, the scope and depth of his interests were without precedent and 'his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote'. Marco Rosci states that while there is much speculation about Leonardo, his vision of the world is essentially logical rather than mysterious, and that the empirical methods he employed were unusual for his time. Read more..

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Leonardo_da_Vinci', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

ISSUE DETAILS

Original Date of Issue: July 25, 2002 Michel Catalogue Numbers: 434-436 Artist/Designer: Vitalie Roşca Printer: Bundesdruckerei, Germany You can see the full details of this series here.

POSTAGE STAMPS
№ 434 | Painting: «Lady with an Ermine» (1485-1490). National Museum, Krakow	Painting: «Lady with an Ermine» (1485-1490). National Museum, Krakow Michel Catalogue No: 434 Perforation Type/Size: Frame 13.75:14 Size: 27.50 x 32.80 mm Face Value: 0.4 Lei Quantity Printed: 50,000
Lady with an Ermine is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci from around 1489–1490. The subject of the portrait is identified as Cecilia Gallerani, and probably was painted at a time when she was the mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, and Leonardo was in the service of the Duke. The painting is one of only four portraits of women painted by Leonardo, the others being the Mona Lisa, the portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, and La belle ferronnière. It is currently displayed in the Wawel Castle, Kraków, Poland. When exhibited in The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, it was described as 'signal[ling] a breakthrough in the art of psychological portraiture'. Read more.. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Lady_with_an_Ermine', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
№ 435 | Painting: «The Virgin and Child with St Anne» (1508-1510). Louvre, Paris	Painting: «The Virgin and Child with St Anne» (1508-1510). Louvre, Paris Michel Catalogue No: 435 Perforation Type/Size: Frame 13.75:14 Size: 27.50 x 32.80 mm Face Value: 1.5 Lei Quantity Printed: 50,000
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne is an oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting St Anne, her daughter the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. Christ is shown grappling with a sacrificial lamb symbolizing his Passion as the Virgin tries to restrain him. The painting was commissioned as the high altarpiece for the Church of Santissima Annunziata in Florence and its theme had long preoccupied Leonardo. Read more.. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'The_Virgin_and_Child_with_St._Anne_%28Leonardo%29', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
№ 436 | Painting: «Mona Lisa» (1503-1506). Also Known as «La Gioconda». Louvre, Paris	Painting: «Mona Lisa» (1503-1506). Also Known as «La Gioconda». Louvre, Paris Michel Catalogue No: 436 Perforation Type/Size: Frame 13.75:14 Size: 27.50 x 32.80 mm Face Value: 3 Lei Quantity Printed: 50,000
The Mona Lisa (Monna Lisa or La Gioconda in Italian; La Joconde in French) is a half-length portrait of a woman by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, which has been acclaimed as 'the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world.' The painting, thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, is in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel, and is believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506, although Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517. It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic, on permanent display at The Louvre museum in Paris since 1797. The ambiguity of the subject's expression, which is frequently described as enigmatic, the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modeling of forms and the atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work. Read more.. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Mona_Lisa', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

FIRST DAY COVERS (FDC) AND CANCELLATIONS (POSTMARKS)

№ Block 27 (434-436) FDC | The Vitruvian Man