This Christmas stamp features a detail of “Our Lady of Guápulo.” Painted in the 18th century by an unknown artist in Cuzco, Peru, “Our Lady of Guápulo” is from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Enrobed in a pyramidal gown speckled with jewels and holding a scepter woven with roses and leaves, a crowned Virgin Mary looks down at a similarly adorned Christ Child in her left arm. A red rosary ropes across the center of her dress and down to her right.

The image in the stamp is framed by a gray metallic border, and the word “Christmas” is written in black lettering above the image.

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a copy of the sculpture was carried throughout the Andes during the 17th century to raise funds to build a new sanctuary. This pilgrimage resulted in a greater demand for local replicas, like the painting from Cuzco.

The image is named after the Church of Our Lady of Guápulo – the first Marian sanctuary in Ecuador. The church has attracted numerous devotees seeking the Blessed Mother’s aid and protection.