Block edition: christmas - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 2001

The proceeds from the sale of the Christmas stamps go to the Federal Association of the Free Welfare, the Association of Worker Welfare, the Diaconal Work of the Evangelical Church of Germany, the German Caritas Association, the German Parity Welfare Association, the German Red Cross and the Central Welfare Office of the Jews in Germany. This year, with the Christmas stamps, the second part of the joint edition with Spain will be released. This time, a Spanish artist designed the motifs. Virgin with Child The motif of the brand "Virgin and Child" is based on a painting from the 20th century. The artist, Alfredo Roldán, was born in Madrid in 1965 and since 1995 has been represented in various exhibitions in Spain, France, Great Britain and Germany. In the painting by Roldán, the nativity nearly falls into the background, while the summery floral splendor spontaneously catches the eye next to the mother and her child. The motif is very colorful and does not show the typical biblical image of the birth of Christ. The shepherds, animals and the stable are missing. Maria is only in a modern room with her child. Roldán presents the event in a modern way. Adoration of the shepherds The motif "The Adoration of the Shepherds" is a painting by Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652) from the year 1650. As a leading exponent of the Spanish Baroque, Ribera is particularly marked Light-dark contrasts are known in his paintings. In his painting, the light focuses on the center, on Mary with the child. Ribera impressively paints the well-known nativity scenes with the shepherds of Bethlehem in a very naturalistic way, opening up the viewer's eye for a central New Testament phrase: "The light shines in the darkness." Today the painting is in the royal convent of San Lorenzo de El Escorial near Madrid.