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Salvator Mundi

Lou Giorgetti



Vatican Aerogramme (1978)

On January 23, 1978, the Vatican Post Office released its 15th aerogramme, or air sheet, inscribed with the words “Salvator Mundi” (“Savior of the World"). The aerogramme, shown above, was inscribed with the image of a ship on rough seas, the “Ship of the Apostles”, in the upper left-hand corner. The right-hand corner bears the postal indicia showing the crossed keys and tiara, the postage cost being 200 lire.

The image of the “Ship of the Apostles” was designed by the artist Giovanni Hajmal, whose work appears on numerous stamps of Vatican City. It shows Jesus at the bow of the boat, arms outstretched, and recalls the story appearing in the Gospel of Matthew of the vessel on rough seas and Jesus walking on the waters. Following the story of the miracle of Jesus feeding the multitudes, the next Bible passage reads:
”Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening, he was there alone.

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, He came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’, they said, and they cried out in fear. At once [Jesus] spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’

After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’ ” (Matthew 14:22-33)



Vatican Aerogramme (1979)

One year after the release of the aerogramme, on January 25, 1979, Vatican City issued its next aerogramme, which also featured the “Salvator Mundi” image. However, the 1979 aerogramme had an additional 20 lire postal indicia printed in the upper right hand corner to account for a postal rate change, bringing the total postage on the aerogramme to 220 lire.

Students of art history may recall that the title “Salvator Mundi” is also tied to a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, shown here:


Salvator Mundi, by Leonardo da Vinci
Located at the Louvre of Abu Dhabi
From Wikimedia Commons (in the public domain)


Dating to around 1499 to 1510, its exact provenance has been disputed over the years. While most art scholars consider it an original work by Leonardo, others believe that he only contributed parts of the masterpiece. Due to the extensive restoration work done on the piece, other believe definitive attribution is not possible.

REFERENCES:
  • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org, Matthew
  • Wikipedia, Salvator Mundi (Leonardo)
  • Anonymous, Vatican Notes, Volume XXVI, Numbers 5-6, page 1, 1978, Airsheet No. 15
  • Anonymous, Vatican Notes, Volume XXVII, Number 5, page 5, 1979, Vatican Stamp Program for 1979
  • Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search