Canadian stamp stories

Housed at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, this magnificent oil-on-panel painting from the early 1500s is attributed to Italian artist Tommaso di Stefano Lunetti (circa 1495-1564). The Adoration of the Shepherds is a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance in Florence. Lunetti’s serene, symmetrical and carefully composed work was based on Luke’s gospel, in which angels announced the birth of Jesus to humble shepherds, who then rushed from their fields to find their newborn saviour. The artist was also inspired by Saint Bridget of Sweden (1303-73), who had a mystical vision of Mary laying the infant on the ground to adore him. Measuring 75.6 cm x 49.5 cm, the painting was likely displayed as an altarpiece; the wheat cushioning the baby’s head a veiled reference to the bread of the Eucharist. This joyful and reverent work of art was donated to the gallery by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum in 1985.