1968 Angel Gabriel Christmas Stamps in Chicago, Illinois For Sale

Full sheet of 50 authentic U.S. six-cent postage stamps issued in xxxx in a pane of 10 columns X 5 rows to honor the Christian event known as The Annunciation whereby the angel Gabriel appears before the Virgin Mary to disclose that she is pregnant by immaculate conception with the baby Jesus: "Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son. You are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High".
Stamp depicts the Angel Gabriel with tri-colored wings, a long-flowing ruby-red robe containing both golden trim and designs. a tiara holding back long hair and holding a staff in left hand. Against the black darkness background, we see that Gabriel has both feminine hands and facial features, which contradicts the artistic tradition of the time period to make angels appear to be as sexually ambiguous as possible because the Bible does not refer to Angels as he or she. Perhaps artist Van Eyck feminized the Angel (despite the male name Gabriel) because a female-looking angel probably would assuage Virgin Mary's fears more than a male-looking angel (given Mary's unique pregnancy predicament at that moment). The stamp does not include Mary, although the original oil painting does include her on the right side.
The rest of the stamp has a pure white outer border. Top says "Christmas 6 cents" and bottom says "United States", all in cranberry-red lettering. Bottom also has tiny print that says "Van Eyck, National Gallery of Art".
Artist Jan Van Eyck, who was raised in a Benedictine convent in Belgium and later known for his portraits, landscapes and altarpieces in the Netherlands region, completed The Annunciation in year xxxx, and it currently hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
Stamp sheet is in Excellent condition and measures 8 3/4 X 10 3/16 inches. Suitable for framing, especially along a hallway or stairway of your home.