2018 Madonna and Child Forever Stamps

Value: 78¢ (1-ounce First-Class Rate – Forever)
Issue Date: October 3, 2018
First Day City: Santa Fe, NM
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Double-sided booklet of 20

Francesco d’Ubertino Verdi (1494–1557), better known as Bachiacca, was a leading figure in the development of Mannerist art during the Italian Renaissance. Born into a family of artists, he apprenticed under Pietro Perugino — the renowned master who also taught Raphael — and later worked in the court of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici.

Bachiacca played a key role in shaping Mannerism, an artistic style celebrated for its elongated forms, elegant movement, and imaginative sophistication. He became especially admired for his meticulous depictions of plants and animals, weaving symbolic natural elements into his religious works.

In his Madonna and Child, for example, the infant Jesus holds a sprig of jasmine — a flower associated with Mary, as it blooms in May, the month devoted to her. Other blossoms — cornflower, rose, and sweetbriar — carry layered meanings tied to both Mary and Jesus, enriching the devotional narrative with delicate botanical symbolism.

Drawing from Italian, German, and Netherlandish traditions, Bachiacca’s unique fusion of influences distinguished his paintings from those of his contemporaries, leaving an enduring mark on Renaissance art and religious iconography.