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<center>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/277.jpg'>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/280.jpg'> 
Images of Della Francesca's Madonna della Misericordia 
From the World Refugee Year Issue 
Scott 277 and 280 (1960)</center>
 
In 1960, Vatican City issued a six-stamp set to call attention to World Refugee Year, which took place from July 1, 1959 to June 30, 1960. Two of the stamps bore images of a detail from the work of Piero della Francesca entitled the Polyptych of the Misericordia. Now located in the Museo Civico di Sansepolcro, it is one of his earliest works, completed around the years 1460-1462. The central panel of the polyptych shows the protective motif of the Virgin Mary, know as the "Madonna della Misericordia", or "Madonna of Mercy", which serves as the basis for the image appearing on the two stamps above.
 
Piero della Francesca was commissioned in 1445 by the Compagnia della Misericordia in Sansepolcro (his home town) to paint the polyptych. Originally contracted to be completed in three years, it eventually took seventeen years to finish the project, due to its complexity.
 
The polyptych consists of a number of panels, and portray many saints as well as scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. For example, the panel to the left of the central image depicts St. Sebastian and John the Baptist. St Benedict, the Madonna of the Annunciation, St. Francis, St. Andrew and St. Bernardino are also depicted. The predellas illustrate five scenes from the life of Jesus.
 
The last part of the polyptych to be painted was the main central panel showing the Madonna della Misericordia. The panel portrays the mercifully protective gesture of the Madonna enfolding her followers in her mantle.
 
Here is an image of the complete Polyptych of the Misericordia:
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<img height='425' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Misericorde.jpg'> 
Polyptych of the Misericordia by Piero della Francesca 
 Museo Civico di Sansepolcro 
From Wikimedia Commons 
(In the Public Domain) 
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REFERENCES: 
<li>Wikipedia.com, <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyptych_of_the_Misericordia'>Polyptych of the Misericordia</a> 
<li>Wikipedia.com, <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piero_della_Francesca'>Piero della Francesca</a>
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website (www.vaticanstamps.org), "Stamp Database Search"

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