Christmas. 600e anniversary of Fra Angelica, 1987

Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro) (c. 1400-55). Florentine painter, a Dominican friar. Although in popular tradition he has been seen as `not an artist properly so-called but an inspired saint' (Ruskin), Angelico was in fact a highly professional artist, who was in touch with the most advanced developments in contemporary Florentine art and in later life travelled extensively for prestigious commissions. He probably began his career as a manuscript illuminator, and his early paintings are strongly influenced by International Gothic. See for more: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/angelico/

First Day Covers (FDC)

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Note: Blanco or airmail envelopes are not shown here but do exist.