This beautiful Austrian 2 schilling stamp, issued in 1973, reproduces “Mother and Children”, a tender domestic scene painted by the Viennese artist Peter Fendi in 1841. Fendi, a key figure of the Biedermeier period, was celebrated for his intimate depictions of family life and gentle realism. The stamp shows a mother attending to her infant while a small child looks on—an image radiating warmth and everyday love.

This issue belongs to Austria’s “Old Master Paintings” series, which honored great works of art held in national collections. The soft color tones and delicate brushwork were superbly adapted for stamp format by the Austrian State Printing House.