The Family Issue of 1971

The Family Scott 504-508 (1971) On March 26, 1971, Vatican City issued a five-stamp set focused on “The Family”. The five stamps depicted the following paintings: 25 L: “The Madonna and Child” by Francesco Ghissi 40 L: “Madonna and Child” by Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni) 55 L: “The Madonna and Child” by Carlo Crivelli 90 L: “Madonna and Child” by Carlo Marratta 180 L: “The Holy Family” by Ghisberto Ceracchini The release had a large print run—1,750,000 sets were issued—and was produced by the Austrian State Printing Office. The stamps bear no specific wording, other than “Poste Vaticane” and the stamp denomination. The artist’s name appears in small type in the lower right-hand corner of the stamp. The Holy Family is a common subject on Vatican City stamps, appearing in numerous issues over the years. A search of the Stamp Database on the VPS website will lead the reader to all these stamps. The Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated during the Octave of Christmas, on the Sunday following Christmas. REFERENCES: Anonymous, Vatican Notes, Volume 20, Number 1, 1971, pp. 1-3, The Family Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search