Announced by the USPS on May 3^rd:

This Christmas stamp features Virgin and Child, an oil-on-panel painting from the first half of the 16th century by a Florentine artist known as the Master of the Scandicci Lamentation.

Depicting the tenderness of a mother and child, interpretations of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child take innumerable forms in the Christian art of the Italian Renaissance. Imbued with a sense of dignity and grace, this stamp offers a traditional touch for cards and letters in a season of celebration, reflection and family. This painting is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.

Additional information will be posted below the line, with the most recent info near the top.

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Updated December 1^st:
The Scott Catalog number for this issue is 5721 (5721a for the convertible booklet pane of 20)

Updated August 23^rd:
[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
‘Virgin and Child’ Painting Adorns New Forever Stamp

What: The U.S. Postal Service is dedicating a new Christmas stamp featuring “Virgin and Child,” an oil-on-panel painting from the first half of the 16th century by an unidentified Florentine artist known as “the Master of Scandicci Lamentation.”

The first-day-of-issue event for the Forever stamp is free and open to the public for those who have RSVP’d. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag#VirginAndChildStamp.

Who: Jenny Utterback, the Postal Service’s vice president for organizational development and dedicating official

When: Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET.

Where: Museum of Fine Arts Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at:usps.com/virginandchild

Background: The painting depicts the Virgin Mary gazing downward at the infant Christ, one of her arms holding him protectively at his waist, the other tenderly touching his arm, while the Christ child turns his head to look out of the frame to the left.

The 16th-century painting “Virgin and Child” is part of the Robert Dawson Evans Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide.

Updated August 15^th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.66″ x 1.23″ The B&W pictorial postmark also measures 2.66″ x 1.23″

From the Postal Bulletin:

On September 22, 2022, in Boston, MA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Virgin and Child stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), double-sided booklet (Item 684100). This stamp will go on sale nationwide September 22, 2022, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

This Christmas stamp features Virgin and Child, a 16th-century painting by a Florentine artist known as the Master of the Scandicci Lamentation. Part of the Robert Dawson Evans Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the painting depicts the Virgin Mary gazing downward at the infant Christ, one of her arms holding him protectively at his waist, the other tenderly touching his arm, while the Christ Child turns his head to look out of the frame to the left. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.

No automatic distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at store.usps.com/store/home. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Virgin & Child Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by January 22, 2023.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Virgin and Child Stamp
Item Number: 684100
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20 (1 design)
Issue Date & City: September 22, 2022, Boston, MA 02205
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Existing Art: The Master of the Scandicci Lamentation
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 200,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in./19.558 x 26.67 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in./23.114 x 30.226 mm
Full Booklet Size (w x h): 5.76 x 2.38 in./146.304 x 60.452 mm
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Plate Size: 880 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “P” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings: Header: Christmas, Virgin and Child, Twenty First-Class Forever Stamps • ©2022 USPS in peel strip area • Barcode • USPS Logo • Promotional text • Plate number in peel strip area • Photograph ©2022 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Updated June 15^th:
This stamp will be issued September 22 with a Boston MA postmark.

Updated May 10^th:
The painting is described on the Museum of Fine Arts’ website [direct link] and apparently “Master of the Scandicci Lamentation” is how the artist is known today. According to MFA, “The painting was formerly attributed to Andrea del Sarto.”

Thanks to VSC member Charlie LaRocco for prompting the research.

Also, the USPS has an article on its Christmas stamps here. It appears it was written in the past year or two.

And the frame of this 2022 stamp reminds me of the one from 2018, “Madonna and Child by Bachiacca.” We published details on that stamp here, and you can click on the illustration here for a larger view of the design.