Date of Issue : 1 Nov 2005
Postmark : St Marys NSW 2760
Denomination : 45c and AU$1.00
Stamp Size : 26 mm x 37.5 mm (45c); 37.5 mm x 26 mm (AU$1.00)
Paper : Tullis Russell
Printing Process : Lithography
The 2005 Christmas stamps issued by Australia Post show Madonna and Child (45c) and an Adoring Angel (AU$1.00). The original art works of these stamps have been painted according to age-old techniques of medieval icon painting. The exquisite images are painted on wooden panels in traditional egg tempera paint, with the background richly embellished with 23 carat gold leaf, designed to catch the flickering light of church candles.