Neapolitan santon polychrome terracotta woman nativity scene sculpture 18th century
Articles
Neapolitan santon* (nativity scene figure) in polychrome terracotta (head and limbs visible), representing a young woman wearing embroidered fabric clothing, from Naples - Italy, 18th century.
This santon is in good general condition, in its original condition.
Please note: one leg is detached, accidents and missing parts on the hands and feet, wear on the clothes, look carefully at the photos.
We have other Neapolitan santons for sale on this site.
The Neapolitan nativity scenes are very different from those that can be seen in churches due to the importance of secular scenes. They are not limited to depicting the nativity, the baby Jesus surrounded by the holy family, but are vast compositions with abundant decorations and multiple characters, in which the best artists often collaborate.
Its spectacular character and its scenographic richness are only possible thanks to the activity of several artists and craftsmen (architects, sculptors, painters, goldsmiths, ceramists, tailors, etc.). Indeed, thanks to their imagination, they managed to reproduce the daily life of the Neapolitans of the 17th and 18th centuries. The elegance of the figuration and the finesse of execution of these santons also reveals the quality of the know-how of the Neapolitan craftsmen. The market, the hotel, the dances, the street vendors, the beggars, the tavern, the different trades, the guarding of the flocks, the royal procession, and everything that was within the reach of everyday life or fantasy, had its place in the Neapolitan nativity scenes testifies to the richness and variety of this artisanal production.