Forever Stamps 2018 Madonna and Child – Christmas Mail, First-Class Postage

Bachiacca (1494-1557) led Mannerist art in the Italian Renaissance, capturing nature skillfully.

Born Francesco d’Ubertino Verdi, Bachiacca hailed from a family of artists and apprenticed under Pietro Perugino.

Pietro Perugino, also Raphael’s teacher, hired Bachiacca in the court of Duke Cosimo I de ‘Medici.

Bachiacca played a crucial role in evolving Mannerism, known for exaggerated proportions and surreal elegance.

Renowned for detailed plant and animal paintings, Bachiacca’s Madonna and Child featured flowers with specific meanings.

In the painting, the baby Jesus grasps a sprig of jasmine, symbolizing Mary as it grows in May, the month of Mary.

Other flowers in the painting – cornflower, rose, and sweetbriar – represent Jesus and Mary.

Bachiacca’s paintings incorporated inspiration from Italian, German, and Netherlandish sources, standing out from contemporaries.

He naturally merged influences into unique pieces, deviating from the common practice of basing works on others.