| THE NEW Christmas stamps were unveiled this week, featuring four well-known pantomimes: Aladdin, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Snow White. But, as it promised last year, the Royal Mail has also reissued first- and second-class stamps bearing the images of the Madonna and child.
A spokesman for the Royal Mail said that it had reissued the “popular” religious stamps “to provide even greater choice for customers”. The two stamps would now be offered every year, he said, “for the foreseeable future”.
The 36p religious stamp reproduces a painting by Lippo di Dalmasio, The Madonna of Humility; the 27p stamp is from a painting by William Dyce of the Madonna and child.
The Royal Mail has a policy of alternating its stamps at Christmas between a secular theme and a religious one. This pattern will continue, said the spokesman. This is the first “secular” year in which religious stamps are also available.
The spokesman also gave assurances that this year there would be plenty of the religious stamps. Last year, some shoppers complained that they were not offered the religious stamps in post offices, and they found them difficult to track down (News, 14 December 2007).
“We send the publicity material out for all the Christmas stamps, but it is up to the outlet how they use it,” the spokesman said.
The Madonna of Humility is in the collection of the National Gallery. The gallery declined “to comment on decisions made by the Royal Mail”.
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