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Oh. November 28, 1955, the Vatican Postal Administration released a set of three commemoratives (illustrated above) to mark the 5th centenary of the of death of Pope Nicholas V. The stamps were designed by Edmondo Pizzi and printed by photogravure in sheets of fifty stamps (10x5) at the State Printing Office at Rome. The sheets are watermarked with the Crossed Keys and in the left margin is the inscription, (translated from Italian) "ONE SHEET OF FIFTY STAMPS VALUE L.___" The effigy of Nicholas V and the inscriptions on the stamps are in sepia. The background color of 20 lire stamp is light blue, the 35 lire stamp is pale rose, and the 60 lire stamp is emerald green. Edmondo Pizzi use a detail of the fresco, "The Farewell of St. Lawrence", for the design of the stamps. This painting was executed by Fra Angelico and, like the fresco used for the Fra Angelico commemoratives, is found in the Chapel of Pope Nicholas V in the Vatican Museums. When Fra Angelico painted the scenes of the lives of Saints Stephen and Lawrence in this chapel he incorporated the effigy of Pope Sixtus II in a number of his works. As there are no likenesses of Sixtus II in existence, Fra Angelico used the features of the then-reigning pontiff, Pope Nicholas V, in his frescos. That is why the original painting identifies the depicted pontiff as Sixtus II. Pope Sixtus II, portrayed in the "Farewell of Saint Lawrence", was canonized a saint. In the frescoes, Fra Angelico included a halo to denote this. When Edmondo Pizzi copied the detail, he failed to realize that Pope Nicholas V was NOT canonized and included the halo in the design of the stamps. This is a designer's error. Collectors are reminded that he should NOT be referred to as Pope St. Nicholas V, but simply Pope Nicholas V. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 197 - 199 Date Issued - 28 November 1955 Face Value - 20 l, 35 l, 60 l Perforations - 14 Printer - The Italian State Printing Works |
| (Vatican Notes Volume IV, Number VIII, December 1955 - January 1956, Pages 1-2) |
