[press release, via Google Translate]

Ludwig van Beethoven, a brilliant German composer and pianist, was born in Bonn on 16 December 1770. The Vatican wants to commemorate the German artist on the 250th anniversary of his birth with a philatelic issue consisting of a mini-sheet of 4 values, the work of Chiara Principe. In the stamp, the foreground of the musician, freely inspired by the bronze statue made by the German sculptor Caspar von Zumbusch and located in Beethovenplatz, Vienna, stands out against the background of a starry sky illuminated by the full moon, a clear reference to the famous luna ”to which the staves in the background belong.”

The handwritten signature of the famous composer completes the drawing. The music CD created for the occasion offers some of the most famous Beethovenian compositions, considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Western symphonic music.

DATA SHEET
Face value: € 1.15
Format: 40 x 30 mm
Mini sheet of: 4 stamps – Dimension: 135 x 105 mm
Artist: Chiara Principe
Printing: Cartor (France) – Printing: offset 4 colors
Price of the mini sheet: Euro € 4.60
Circulation: 125,000 complete series
Compact disc
Price of the CD (philatelic series included): Euro 9.90