Christmas - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 2009 - 45 Euro Cent

The 2009 Christmas stamps depict depictions of the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi from one of the finest late medieval manuscripts. The so-called Hoya Missal, a magnificent Gothic Missal, was created between 1420 and 1430 in the school of the Utrecht masters of the Zweder van Culemborg and is now kept in the University and Regional Library of Münster. The Missal is named after its first verifiable owner, Johann von Hoya (1529-1574), Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück, Münster and Paderborn. The book impresses with its magnificent paintings of the highest artistic and craftsmanship level. The miniatures are painted in bright colors mostly on gold background and show scenes from the Old and New Testament, the life and passion of Christ, as well as angels, apostles, saints and martyrs. The first stamp shows in the first letter of the text, the initial, the "Adoration of the Magi". Maria is sitting on the left, holding the child in her lap. In the background her husband Josef can be recognized. The right side is occupied by the Magi.