Royal Mail Stamps 2019 - Leonardo da Vinci, 13 February 2019

On 2 May 1519, Leonardo da Vinci passed away at the Chateau du Clos Luce in the French town of Amboise. The chateau belonged to King Francis I, by whom da Vinci was employed, and some legends say that the artist died in the king’s arms. Whatever the truth of this, da Vinci’s rise from his humble beginnings in a Tuscan village, to his status as one of the greatest painters of all time was remarkable.

The twelve special stamps in the set feature some of da Vinci’s finest drawings: The skull sectioned, A sprig of guelder-rose,A star of Bethlehem and other plants,The anatomy of the shoulder and foot,The head of Leda, The head of a bearded man, The head of St Philip, A woman in a landscape, A design for an equestrian monument, andThe Fall of light on a face.

These drawings have been specially selected from the collections of the Queen, acquired by Charles II in c.1670 and they will be on display at twelve museums and galleries around the UK during 2019, before being brought together for an exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace.

Stamp details

Issue date: 13 February 2019

Design: Kate Stephens

Stamp size: 35mm x 35mm

Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5

Phosphor: Bars as appropriate

Gum: PVA

Printer: International Security Printers

Print process: Lithography

1st The skull sectioned

1st A sprig of guelder-rose

1st Studies of cats

1st A Star of Bethlehem and other plants

1st The anatomy of the shoulder and foot

1st The head of Leda

1st The head of a bearded man

1st The skeleton

1st The head of St Philip

1st A woman in a landscape

1st A design for an equestrian monument

1st The fall of light on a face

QUICK LINK: Win the stamps in our Royal Mail competition