:. . r 23, lw.3, Tlie News-Record Page ZB
Nativity Creclae.' Ait
DraMatiseo
According to legend, remnants of tho manger at Bethlehem were brought to Italy ;
i of Assist
the Umbrian mountain.
by early Christiana. So It 'la not surorlslna- that aome 1300 yeara later. St Francis i
should have chosen to renew lta spirit and meaning In the hermitage of Orecclo In
"I desire to represent the birth of that Child In Bethlehem In such a way that with
Our hnriilw mvmm mil maw iu all tH U A laolr tt th hmIU. a
born babe, and how he lay in the manger between the ox and ass.'. .
nis iriena, uiovanm veutta, proceeded to carry out tnese instructions, setting up
a life-size manger with straw and a live ox and ass. Members of the community posed
as Mary, Joseph and the shepherds and a wax figure of the Christ Child was placed la
uie manger, a great wrong assembled to worship at tne site on cnristmaa Eve 1223.
Many songs and hymns were sung, and so Impressive and awe-inspiring was the
ceremony, that Orecclo assumed the fame of a second Bethlehem as the newt spread
far and wide. .
. Inspired by St. Francis, artisans and craftsmen began to make miniature manger
scenes for their homes, and the creches spread all over Europe.
. wnole families fashioned
the little figures from wood
or clay and created replicas
of Bethlehem, as they imag
ined it would look. Often
these scenes looked more
like their own villages than
the Holy Land.
In Naples, these creches
developed into a fashion
able art because of the In
terest of the Bourbon King
Carlo III, who set the pace
oy tne eiaoorate settings or
the Nativity scene, which
he had set up In his castle
every Christmas Eve.
The members of the court
took up the hobby of their
king and soon all the great
Neapolitan families were
vying with each other to
produce brilliant and lavish
creche displays. They em-
toyed the talents of the
est sculptors and the lad
ies of the great houses fre
quently made elaborate
clothes of velvets and sat
ins for the figures.
The most outstanding of
these figures were produced
in the workshops of Naples
during the second half of
the eighteenth century. The
Metropolitan Museum has a
large collection of them,
which are usually on dls
' play during the Christmas
season. Most of these are
from the famous collection
owned by the great Neapoli
tan Catello family.
The figures, an average
of 12 to 18 inches in height, "
have pliable bodies of wov
en twine and wire, expres
sive faces. The limbs are of
finely carved wood. The fig
ures are dressed in 18th
century costumes, enriched
with Jewels and embroidery.
The heads and shoulders of
tne figures, modeiei
terracotta and painted In
'
flesh tones, are credited to
some of 18th-century Na
ples' finest sculptors: Giu
seppe Sammartlno and bis
pupils, Salvatore de Franco,
Giuseppe Gorl and Angelo
Viva.
Creches are also popular
In other parts of Europe
notably Provence in France,
and in Spain. But none has
reached the high degree of
artistic elegance of those of
V
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The Three Kincs, attributed to Giuseppe Sammartino. Polychromed terracotta.
wood, labric, tow and wire and silver-gilt. 14'A to 15 high. Italian (Neapolila
2nd hall of 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Loretta H.
t
talian ( Neapolitan I
18th century Naples.
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Nativity Group, Mary and Joseph attributed to Salvatore di Franco; Baby Jesiw
to Giuseppe SammartirfA. Polychromed terracotta, wood, fabric, tow and wire,
silver-gilt, straw and cork. Height of Joseph, 15". Italian (Neapolitan) 2nd half of
18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Loretta H. Howard.
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Ancel with Censer, at
tributed to Giuseppe Sam
martino. Polychromed ter
racotta, wood, fabric, tow
and wire and silver-gilt, IS"
high. Italian (Neapolitan)
2nd half of 18th century.
. The Metropolitan Museum
iWf Art, gift of Loretta H.
Ward. . V.
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Awed Shephkum AND THEIR GoATSnnlvrfirnmrl i
cotta, wood, fabric, tow anil wire. Shepherds 15" high.
tauau iua aau oi lotn century. I he Met
ropolitan Museum of Artl gift of Loretta H. Howard.
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