Dante was born in Florence, Italy. His parents died when he was young and Brunetti Latine, a statesman, supervised his education. Many scholars think that he studied philosophy at Bologna and Padua, and theology at Paris. Since the 1800s Dante has been regarded as one of the world's greatest poets. Chaucer & Milton imitated him, Longfellow, Shelley & Hugo praised his perfect style, and his sincere poetic character. Two outstanding works are his New Life and the Divine Comedy. Dante held high political office in Florence, but a hostile political faction exiled him in 1302.]]> Norman Rockwell Classics and Historic American Stamps. On the album's title page is the following description: "A limited edition collection of 100 philatelic covers bearing Norman Rockwell paintings, related U.S. postage stamps, and important anniversary postmarks."

The cover for Rockwell's painting The Eleventh Hour was paired with the 1965 Dante commemorative stamp and was cancelled in San Francisco on July 17, 1980, fifteen years to the day after the stamp was first issued. The accompanying album text explains the link between the college students in Rockwell's painting and Dante, "one of the greatest scholars of the ages."

The cachet shows Rockwell's painting with "'The Eleventh Hour'" above. Additional text appears between red and blue lines above the address area: "Dante Alighieri Stamp First Issued San Francisco, Calif., July 17, 1965".]]> Beginning in the 1960s, prolific collector and cachet maker John Ranto of Hamilton Township, New Jersey, produced first day covers made from postal bulletins and display posters. According to online sales descriptions by Trenton Stamp and Coin, "these covers were created by hand folding US Postal Service bulletins into a standard FDC size and then applying the current issue for the cover in addition to related combination stamps. He cleverly crafted these covers into mostly one-of-a-kind cachets or productions. In the beginning, Mr. Ranto created these covers for his personal collection, but as he enjoyed the process, he did start to create extras that he would trade or sell. Each of his covers is normally signed or intialed on the reverse side, and also coded, but not in every case."

For the 1982 America's Libraries commemorative stamp (Scott no. 2015), Ranto created a series of covers featuring famous authors. One of the authors chosen was Dante and Ranto used the U.S. Post Office Department poster from the 1965 Dante commemorative issue to make the folded cover.

]]> Disputation of the Holy Sacrament in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City as well as Sandro Botticelli's illustration to Inferno 1 found in a manuscript in the Vatican Library known as Cod. Reg. Lat. 1896. The illustrations shows Dante's encounter with a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf. Both the portrait and the Botticelli illustration are reversed from the originals. The text of the cachet is as follows: "700 Aniversario / DANTE / ALIGHIERI / 1265 / 1965 / PRIMER DIA DE EMISION" (700th anniversary; first day of issue).]]> Purgatorio 12:43–44. The other is "Charon and the River Acheron" from Inferno 3:82–84. The vertical text reads as follows: "SOBRE PRIMER DIA — FIRST DAY COVER / (Ediciones C.F.U.)".]]> This first day cover was issued by ALA (no. 70). The cachet shows the portrait of Dante in Raphael's fresco Disputation of the Holy Sacrament in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. This is overprinted with Sandro Botticelli's illustration of Dante and Beatrice in the heaven of the moon from Paradiso 3 found in a manuscript volume in the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin known as MS Hamilton 201. Below the cachet is text as follows: "1265 / 1965 / Città del Vaticano".
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The cachet for no. V. 46 shows Dante and Beatrice in heaven. In the upper right corner is "1265 / 1965" and at the bottom is the following text: "VII CENTENARIO DELLA NASCITA / DI DANTE ALIGHIERI" (7th centenary of the birth of Dante Alighieri). This cachet is known to have been printed in a blue version and a red version.

One of the cachets for the V. 46/a series features Luca Signorelli's painting of Dante in the cathedral of Orvieto, Italy. The other cachet shows a detail from French Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix's first major painting, Dante et Virgile aux enfers (known in English as The Barque of Dante or Dante and Virgil in Hell). Below both images is text as follows: "VII CENTENARIO NASCITA DANTE ALIGHIERI" (7th centenary [of the] birth [of] Dante Alighieri). ]]> This first day cover was issued by Filagrano. The cachet shows a full-length portrait of Dante holding a book on which is written the text of Paradiso 1:1–2: "La gloria di colui che tutto muove / per l'universo penetra e risplende" (The glory of Him who moves all things pervades the universe and shines); Dante's tomb in Ravenna is shown in the background. The cachet is surrounded by text as follows: vertically, on the left: "first day cover"; at the top: "CITTA' DEL VATICANO"; and at the bottom: "VII CENT. DELLA NASCITA / DANTE ALIGHIERI" (7th centenary of the birth [of] Dante Alighieri).

A brief biography of Dante is printed on the envelope's flap.]]> Paradiso 6 found in a manuscript volume in the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin known as MS Hamilton 201. The cachet for no. 13 has text as follows: at the top: "Civitas Vaticana / DIE EMISSIONIS" (Vatican City, day of issue); at the bottom: "BOTTICELLI - DANTE E BEATRICE / Dante Alighieri / MCCLXV - MCMLXV". The cachet for no. 39/A has text as follows: at the bottom: BOTTICELLI - DANTE E BEATRICE". Additionally, no. 13 is labeled as "SPECIAL DE LUXE".]]> Sandro Botticelli's illustration of Dante and Beatrice in the heaven of the moon from Paradiso 3 found in a manuscript volume in the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin known as MS Hamilton 201 (reversed from the original). Below the cachet is "DANTE ALIGHIERI". The other design shows Giotto's portrait of Dante, above which is "DANTE ALIGHIERI / 1265 1321". Both designs are known in red and blue versions (the blue Giotto was used for the 1965 Italy Dante issue).]]> This first day cover was issued by Roma (Vat. 49). The cachet features Raphael's portrait of Dante from the artist's fresco Disputation of the Holy Sacrament in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. The cachet is signed "D. NIZZI" in the area of Dante's neck. Below the portrait is text as follows: "Dante / VII CENTENARIO / DELLA NASCITA" (Dante, 7th centenary of [his] birth).]]> This first day cover likely was issued by Stampa Filatelica. The cachet features a reproduction of an anonymous miniature portrait of Dante from a fifteenth-century manuscript (MS Riccardiano 1040) in the Biblioteca Riccardiana in Florence. Above the cachet is "The Golden Series / First Day Cover" and below is "VII EXPLETO SAECULO / AB ORTU DANTIS ALAGHERII" (7th century since the birth of Dante Alighieri). The first day cover is part of the "Golden Series" (no. 62) and the statement "Supervised by Vittorio lo Bianco" appears on the envelope's reverse.]]> The cachet features Raphael's portrait of Dante from the artist's fresco Disputation of the Holy Sacrament in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. Below the portrait is text as follows: "RAFFAELLO. PARTICOLARE DELLA DISPUTA DEL SACRAMENTO / VII Centenario della nascita di / Dante Alighieri / F.D.C. VATICANO" (Raphael, detail from the Disputation of the Holy Sacrament, 7th centenary of the birth of Dante Alighieri).]]>
The cachet on 87-1/V features a modern interpretation of Raphael's portrait of Dante from the artist's fresco Disputation of the Holy Sacrament in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, with text as follows: at the top: "VIIo CENT. DELLA NASCITA" (7th centenary of the birth); and at the bottom: "DIE EMISSIONIS" (day of issue).

The cachet on 87-2/V features a montage of two modern interpretations of illustrations by Sandro Botticelli of Dante and Beatrice; these are based on the artist's illustrations to the Divina commedia found in a manuscript volume in the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin known as MS Hamilton 201 and a manuscript in the Vatican Library known as Cod. Reg. Lat. 1896. The cachet is surrounded by text as follows: at the top: "DIE EMISSIONIS" (day of issue); vertically, on the right: "DANTE"; and at the bottom: "VIIo CENT. DELLA NASCITA" (7th centenary of the birth).]]> This first day cover's hand-painted cachet by Nino Masiello da Ercole depicts a scene from Paradiso 24 in which St. Peter interrogates Dante—accompanied by Beatrice—about the poet's faith. The scene is taken from a miniature by Giovanni di Paolo in Yates Thompson 36, a fifteenth-century manuscript in the British Library. Below the cachet is "Pezzo unico" (unique item) and the artist's signature "Nino Masiello 2009". In the upper left corner of the envelope is the artist's logo.]]> Postage Stamp - United States - 1965]]> Paradiso 3 found in a manuscript volume in the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin known as MS Hamilton 201. Beside the cachet is text as follows: "ULTIMO GIORNO VALIDITÀ 1966" (Last day of validity); "L.D.C. ITALIA / 50 ÷ 59 / KimCover"; and "STAMPE / ANTONIO LA BATTAGLIA - Ferma Posta ROMA S. Silvestro". On the envelope's reverse is a list of the last day covers in this series (no. 50–59). Two hundred copies were printed.]]> These last day covers were issued by KimCover (nos. 39 and 39/A). The cachet for no. 39 shows Giotto's portrait of Dante, reversed from the original, within a gold frame at the top of which is "MCCLXV MCMLXV". Below the cachet is "Dante". The cachet for no. 39/A shows a version of Sandro Botticelli's illustration of Dante and Beatrice in the heaven of Mercury from Paradiso 6 found in a manuscript volume in the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin known as MS Hamilton 201. Below the cachet is "BOTTICELLI - DANTE E BEATRICE".

Both covers share some of the same text: vertically, along the left side: "TIRATURA 600 COPIE - ISSUE 600 COVERS"; vertically, along the right side: "ULTIMO GIORNO VALIDITÀ / LAST DAY COVER"; and in the lower right corner: "KimCover S.C.V." Both covers also have a medallion portrait of Pope Paul VI surrounded by text: "PAVLVS VI PONT·MAX·"; "ULTIMA DIE" (last day) appears near the medallion portrait. Each cover is labelled with its respective series number: "39 KimCover 13 - Paulus P.P. VI" or "39/A KimCover 13/A - Paulus P.P. VI".]]> This maximum card was issued by the philatelic group Círculo Filatélico de Liniers and postmarked in Buenos Aires on September 16, 1965. The card features Gustave Doré's portrait of Dante. Below the portrait is a detail from Doré's illustration for Purgatorio 2:43-44 depicting Dante and Virgil watching as a "heavenly pilot" guides his boat toward them as they stand on the shore. A banner proclaims "SEPTIMO CENTENARIO" (seventh centenary) in reference to the 700th anniversary of Dante's birth.]]> This maximum card was issued by Lupita and postmarked in Buenos Aires on September 16, 1965. The cachet features a black and white left-facing portrait of Dante, a quill pen, and three books with titles in Spanish: "LA / DIVINA COMEDIA" (Divine Comedy), "LIRICAS" (Poems), and "DE LA MONARQUIA" (On Monarchy). Above the image is "DANTE ALIGHIERI", to the left, vertically, is "Tarjeta primer día / First day card", and below is "Genial Poeta Florentino - 1265/1321" (great Florentine poet).]]> This maximum card features a black and white photograph of Raphael's portrait of Dante from the artist's fresco Disputation of the Holy Sacrament in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, the 1971 Germany postage stamp commemorating the 650th anniversary of Dante's death (which also shows the same portrait by Raphael), and a cancellation from Bonn showing Dante.]]> o Centenario della nascita / di Dante Alighieri" (7th centenary of the birth of Dante Alighieri).]]> o 769 Italia". The card features a black and white photograph of the Naples Bust of Dante, the 1990 Italy postage stamp commemorating the centenary of the Società Dante Alighieri, and a cancellation from Verona showing the city's Basilica di San Zeno.]]> Inferno) and 34 members of the Centro italiano di filatelia tematica exhibited their collections of stamps illustrating each canto of the Inferno (part of the Progetto Dante). The exhibition was a collaboration of the local philatelic circle, Circolo culturale filatelico numismatico "Ennio Giunchi", and the national thematic organization, Centro italiano di filatelia tematica. The painting depicted on the card and on the cancellation shows Dante with the faces of souls in hell and is the work of Patrizio Virzì, an artist from Cesena, Italy. The painting is titled L'Inferno di Dante. The card is stamped with the 2009 Italian stamp from the Italy-San Marino-Vatican City joint issue.]]> Romagna Noi, October 24, 2011, http://www.romagnanoi.it/news/cultura-eventi/723331/L-inferno-diventa-un-francobollo.html (accessed August 18, 2013).]]> Gaetano Ieluzzo. The stamp commemorates the "Giornata della filatelia 2011" (Philately Day 2011). In the center of the stamp is a reproduction of the 1965 Italian 500-lire postage stamp showing the Naples Bust of Dante. The background comprises a collage of the following designs: 1.) Lower left: the Italian cancellation of November 30, 2007, showing Dante in profile; 2.) Upper right: the Italian cancellation of October 23, 2009, showing a representation of Dante's hell; and 3.) Lower right: An envelope stamped with three 25-centesimi Italian "Proclamation of the Empire" postage stamps from 1938 designed by Corrado Mezzana. The maximum card's cancellation has the same design as the stamp.]]> Dante in Exile. Issued by Kyrgyz Express Post. Designed by Elnur Isakov. "Maximum Card No 8". Limited to 300 pieces.]]>