Renaissance man

To mark 500 years since Leonardo da Vinci’s death, Royal Mail has issued the latest Special Stamps that include some of his most beautiful and intriguing works.

The set was chosen to coincide with the 12 exhibitions, ‘Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing’, taking place in 2019 across the UK – one drawing from each of the 12 exhibitions is featured on a stamp. 

He was one of history’s greatest polymaths – a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer and map-maker who also pursued the scientific study of subjects as diverse as human anatomy, the theory of light, the movement of water and the growth of plants. 

Fewer than 20 paintings by Leonardo survive, and nothing in sculpture or architecture. 

The Royal Collection holds the greatest collection of his drawings in existence, housed in the Print Room at Windsor Castle.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail, said: “500 years after his death, Leonardo’s drawings continue to inspire and intrigue us. We are delighted to feature 12 of the finest examples from the Royal Collection on these stamps.”

The stamps are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/leonardo and go on general sale on Wednesday 13 February.