Vol. I, No. 2
creche herald
for all who love, own or collect a creche
TREASURING MEMORIES OF THE CRECHE
Decently a friend told me about the time his .l~arents first took him to see a live creche. "It was a pretty raw afternoon. The skies were overcast and rain was threatening To make matters worse, the heater in my dad's car wasn't working, so by the time we got to the church, none of us was fit company for anyone. But the moment we came close to the creche, it was as if that bone chilling ride had never happened.
"For myself, I had never seen anything so wonderful. There was a beautiful young girl as the Virgin Mary and a serious St. Joseph--although the attached gray beard didn't make him look any older than his sixteen years. On either side were some shepherds, an actual cow and donkey, and a doll filling in for a real infant. Then suddenly, the heavens opened and heavy rains poured down .
As we onlookers scurried to get under shelter, the actors all did what the characters they portrayed were supposed to do : Mary quickly scooped up the "baby," Joseph protectively placed a cloak over mother and child, and helped them to a nearby building, and the shepherds led the animals into the stable. It was like being part of the drama ourselves."
Such reminiscences always make us glad we have been part of the creche experience.
Rita B. Bacher
Summer 1997
DENNIS BROWN OFFERS A NEW LOOK
"Mine is a year round Nativity that the whole family can relate to," says Dennis Brown in describing his original approach to depicting the Christmas story, The Bethlehem Experience. "I love the tradition of the Old Masters, but my biggest inspiration is children's books. I try to give my figures a hands-on feel, with bright colors and emotional expressions on faces."
One of Brown's unusual interpretations is placing the Three Wise Men in a boat. "I envision the • Three Wise Men as having traveled to Bethlehem in various traditional ways," he says "One might have come by camel, another by elephant, and perhaps the third walked, but remember, in a dream, the angel told them to go home by another route . For me, the possibility of that other route is by water, so I put them in a boat. Most people love the boat because it expands the story of the Nativity just a little and lets them see it in a new light."
When asked about his favorite figure, Brown hesitates briefly. "The Three Wise Men get most of the attention," he says, "but I guess my personal favorite is one of the standing shepherds. He's a very humble fellow, just overawed by the events that have brought him to the manger."
Brown's Nativity is part of a larger line called Reasons to Believe recently released by Enesco "I gave it that name because all the figures in that line give to mankind in some way--figures like Santa Claus or even Uncle Sam. And of course, the cornerstone of giving is the Nativity."
The Bethlehem Experience features a ISpiece Nativity scene crafted from cold-cast resin that is colorfully hand-painted. Each piece comes with a miniature color booklet that tells the story of the event. Brown started in clay sculpting as a child, making figures in play dough to go along with his match box cars . Pretty soon, he was making figures for his friends. About 3000 figurines and numerous state fair awards later, he says, "And I guess I'm still making people."
His studio is a workbench situated in the front window of a shop in Kirkland, Washington where he says his friend, Rusty Wakefield, serves as an idea person . Brown and his wife, Linda, reside in Kirkland.
Dennis Brown's Born in A Manger by Enesco
Summer 1997
crecbe herald page 2 FROM BETHLEHEM TO GRECCIO
The creche before St. Francis
St. Francis' inspired embrace of the Nativity actually marked not so much the initiation of a tradition as the preservation of one.
The Roman Emperor Hadrian, who ruled early in what we now call the second century AD., is said to have deliberately established a pagan temple upon the repute<l site of Christ's birth, in an attempt to quash Christianity . Origen , who wrote as an outlaw Christian in Roman North Africa during the third century , spoke of having visited the grotto site of Christ's birth and having seen the actual manger"in which the newborn Savior had been laid.
In the fourth century, with Christianity's legalization and, ultimately, its establishment as the official religion of the Roman Empire, attention to the Nativity waxed. St. Jerome and St. Augustine said that Christ's birthplace was drawing pilgrims from the entire Roman world.
Within Rome itself, an early Christian church , first known as Sancta Maria ad Praesepe, subsequently rebuilt as the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, became closely associated with the presepio.
Tradition holds that at one time, the church included a separate chapel built with stones from the Nativity grotto in Bethlehem. The chapel came to be known as the Praesepe , the Latin word for a manger or stall. It was thought also that relics of the Bethlehem manger found their way to the church
Through the Early Middle Ages , images of the Nativity were frequently rendered by artists, many of them Byzantine , or Eastern Roman In church services in the West, the Nativity was the subject of elaborate homilies, including singing and recitations Since drama was still associated with the pagan theater. these presentations stopped just short of enactment of the Nativity; however , by the twelfth century , the y had grown to be part of the Mystery Plays , elaborate public dramatizations of Biblical events. By that time , the elements of the Nativity scene as we know it today had beenMestablished
uch of the buffoonery of the ancient pagan theater eventually re-emerged in the Mystery Plays , drawing denunciation by Pope Innocent III in the year 1207 It was within that context that St. Francis offered his seminal Nativity memorial on an Advent evening in Greccio in the year 1223 Visually , he distilled the presentation to a single element: a manger. And in so doing , re-established an air of reverence about the Nativity , an enduring triumph . John
R Bonaccorsi
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OPENS
World wide entries received.
Artisans and craftspeople are urged to participate in the International Creche Competition in Bellingham Washington First prize is $ I 000 ; second prize is $500, and third prize is $300 . Travel awards are also given.
Entries are due November 1. Works may be either three dimensional or two dimensional , such as paintings or tapestries. Scenes must include Mary , Joseph and the Infant Jesus, and as many other figures as the artist wishes There is no entry fee to participants.
The creche shown below, crafted b y Mohammed Amin of Tamale, Ghana, was the 1996 first p1ize winner. Amin noted, "I am a Dagomba and try to portray all of my figures as people from Northern Tribes Ifwe learn about different people and their customs then we will understand each other and we can go on the same road in peace. That is what my work is about, understanding people and bringing them together."
Official Competition poster photographed by Jon Brunk and desig11ed by The Zimmerman Group. For further information : ICF A , 1421 Cornwall #B, Bellingham , WA 98225. Telephone : 360-734-9757; Fax: 360-734-9830
E-mail : gdrake@creche.org.
creche herald
Editor/publisher: Office:
E-mail address: Rita B. Bocher l 17 Crosshill Road Wynnewood, PA 19096-3511 crecher@op .net
by Mary B Herzel
Several new pieces are being featured by Enesco this year. One is The Bethlehem Experience by artist, Dennis Brown (See the interview with Brown in this issue). In The Bethlehem Experience, Brown has recreated the events leading up to and following the Christ Child ' s birth. The figurines are handcrafted in cold cast resin and hand painted in lush colors that bring the Nativity into the 21st century. Some of the new additions are: Following the Star; The Shepherds ' Return; No Room in the Inn, and Going to Bethlehem.
Again by Enesco, Ed vanRosmalen lends his talent to the Christmas Nativity with black figures, known as the Mahogany Miracle. In this new addition to his Mahogany Princess collection of angels, vanRosmalen blends classic and contemporary style to create dark sculptures to celebrate the first Christmas. vanRosmalen's work always has been marked by a sensitivity to an important family moment.
*****
Roman, Inc. recently announced new additions to the Seraphim Classic Collection. Angels have always been part of the Christmas story, whether it was the angel Gabriel announcing the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary or the angels proclaiming the birth to the shepherds at Bethlehem. Because of that, last year, Roman extended the Seraphim Classic Collection to include the Nativity figures of Mary, Joseph and the Infant Jesus. This year, the three kings bear their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Studio Hummel has created the Berta Hummel Nativity. These sculptures have sweet angelic faces, and were inspired by the children from Berta Hummel ' s tender paintings.
Christmas Editions offers its 1997 issue of The Heart of Christmas sterling Christmas ornaments that feature scenes of the Nativity. This year's ornament, inspired by the song, "Some Children See Him," shows children of various ethnic backgrounds gathered around the manger.
Carol Lewis of Sterling and Collectibles sells a beautiful Nativity in sterling silver with gold highlights made by Sam Philipe, a Jerusalem artist.
The Sprinkles Christmas assortment from Coyne's & Company this year features a Christmas Nativity pageant by artist and sculptor Nancye Williams. The unique figures. which the artist refers to as "the child inside us all" are simple and childlike .
The Pageant features the Holy Family and an angel carrying a star with a stable background.
Where to buy :
Kathie's Christmas and Collectibles, Camp Hill Shopping Mall, Camp Hill, PA 170 I I , (717) 97 50505 *
Christmas Editions , IO I E Holly Ave ., Suite 3, Sterling, VA 20164, (703) 444-6 I 55 ; Fax: (703) 421-9386 *
Sterling and Collectibles, 820 Koogle Rd ., Mansfield, OH 44903 I-800-636-4756
Coyne's & Company: I- 800-336-8666.
~PRAYER FOR A FAMILY~
Lord, bless ourfamily, All ofus now together, Those who are far away, and All who are gone back to you .
May we know joy, and may we bear our sorrows in. patience. Let love guide our understanding of each other.
Let us be grateful to each other
We have all made each other what we are 0 Family of Jesus , Watch over our family .
Reverend Frank O 'Rourke
GIVE A GIFf SUBSCRIPTION TO THE CRECHE HERALD
Chifdcln 111 over m, world
an HIM difec,nriy
by Julia Colflesh
The depiction of the structure of Christ ' s birthplace has varied greatly, not only geographically, but also through time.
Caves *
Early Byzantine icons show a cave with a spli1 roof that allowed rays of the Christmas star to reach down to the newborn Child That reminded viewers that Jesus would return to a cave (tomb) wrapped, not in swaddling clothes , but the winding sheet of the grave
Stables *
This has long been the most popular structure depicted for the Infant's birthplace, probably because the Biblical reference to a manger conjures up a picture of a shelter for donkeys and oxen The roofs of the stables vary from flat to gable to shed to straw to shingle to tile Some are very shallow to display the figures better; others are very deep to include every last king , shepherd, musician and cow .
Temple ruins *
Neapolitan Precepii which place the Holy Family among the ruins of a Roman temple seem to incorporate the history of the hol y cave . When the Roman Emperor Hadrian realized that more and more Christians were venerating the birthplace of Jesus , he had the area filled in , a grov e planted and a temple to Adonis built on the site Later Christians dest roy ed th e temple , excavated the grotto and built a series of churches over it.
The Neapolitan creche symbolizes all three stages of history : the gate to the cave under the hill , the temple ruins, and above them , the triumph of Christ over paganism. Sadly, the meaning of this form sometimes is lost. Thus , occasionally , the temple ruins are placed incorrectly as background , and the Neapolitan figures find themselves in a stable instead . Dilapidated house *
This structure often is shown by only two walls (usually made to represent stone), a roof badly in need of repair and a yard with fallen stones . Many have a palm tree or two growing up through the ruins and an angel perched on the roof. Usually these sets are made in Germany, somewhat reminiscent of the work of the 16th century artist, Albrecht Durer. Durer worked at a time when it was thought that Jesus was born not only in the city of David , but in the house of David, and of course the house would have been very old
Current ethnic interpretations *
Current enthusiasm for ethnicity has produced some delightful "stables"--sets with Afiican straw huts ,
American Indian tepees, southwest adobe buildings and Chinese pagodas serving as the birthplace. Absence of a Biblical description of the site of Christ's birth combines with the imagination of the creche builder to provide an endless variety. All bring new relevancy to a very old story
Editor's Note:
Father Johann G. Roten, S.M ., director of the Marian Library-International Marian Research Institute (University of Dayton, Ohio), himself a collector of creches , adds that sometimes the Neapolitan precepio scenes used a "holy mountain" approach This arrangement essentially articulated the social strata of the period At the top of the mountain stood a castle that represented a heavenly Jerusalem linked to earth by angels Just below, were the king, nobles and the wealthy. As one descended, there were increasingly common folk , such as tradespeople and shepherds. At the base was the cave or stable with the Infant Jesus who identified himself with the poor (creche herald welcomes other commentary on structures).
* *IMMANUEL**
The candle in the window, Lord, is all aglow to guide your baby steps across the snow
The star that ' s on the top bough of the tree is placed there for your wondering eyes to see Because we cannot bring you gift or toy , as Wise Men did , our gifts bring others joy 0 Christ Child, at your birth the world's alight and happy songs ring through the starry night.
Ifwe could only learn that you will stay, Immanuel, God with us, long after Christmas Day. Catherine Williams
Photo : Larry Burgess , Marian Library
18th C. ITALIAN CRECHE LIGHTS UP THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM
Anyone who has ever visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City at Christmas time and seen the Angel Tree and 18th century Neapolitan precepio nestled beneath its branches, has witnessed a stunning visual feast. Nearly 300 figures evoke the divine and human side of the Nativity--angels floating around an enormous Christmas tree, a serene Holy Family and an 18th century world of villagers plying their trades, children playing , housewives shopping, peddlers hawking wares, and musicians strolling.
"There are about 250 figures in the core display, and usually I add other pieces each year from my own collection." explains Linn Howard (Selby) , whose mother, Loretta Hines Howard , gave the magnificent display to the Metropolitan. "My mother got started with a few creche figures just before she married, then added more on her honeymoon, and that started her collecting all her life."
Howard, along with her own daughter , Andrea Selby, now installs the massive collection at the Museum each year, as she and her mother used to do. "Each year, the display varies, " she says, "because we add different figures or different landscape elements It's always a joy and an adventure for us to install the creche. "
Angels from the Howard creche gracefully fly among the branches of the 20-foot artificial tree "It takes at least two ofus to place the angels," she states "One ofus hangs the figure; the other person critiques the positioning from the visitors' viewpoint."
Unlike most tree decorating which is done from the top down, the Metropolitan's angels are affixed from the bottom up. "We decorate the bottom section first and then add the subsequent sections of the tree, decorating each unit as we go along."
The artists who created the diminutive figures read like a who's who of 18th century Naples: Giuseppe Sanmartino created the Infant, some cherubs and a member of the Magi's retinue; one of Sanmartino's pupils, Salvatore di Franco sculpted the Virgin, Joseph and five angels; many of the animals were done by Francesco Gallo and the Vasallo brothers, Nicola and Saverio.
At the end of each Christmas season, around the Epiphany, January 6, the Angel Tree and all its inhabitants are put away for another year Each figure is carefully examined before storage, and necessary conservation work is completed. Any tiny clothes that need refurbishing or cleaning are first photographed to assure that when the process is
completed, the little person to whom they belonged will be just the same as before The figures are stored in a temperature controlled environment until they are ready to make their entrances the following Christmas.
Most of the figures of the Angel Tree come from a famous Neapolitan collection called "The Adoration of Angels " Loretta Howard acquired the figures from the family owning the collection in 1955. She first displayed it at the Metropolitan in 1957 and formally gave it to the Museum seven years later.
Visitors can see the Angel Tree and its earthly and Heavenly denizens from late November to early January in the Medieval Sculpture Hall on the first floor. If you get there in mid November you just might be lucky enough to see Linn Howard and her daughter working on the arrangements.
Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York , Gift of Loretta Hines Howard, 1964
Summer 1997
FROM OUR READERS $ $ $
creche herald page 6
SANTON FIGURES CONTINUE TO CHARM
One afternoon, a couple of days before Christmas, I was walking around the house admiring the decorations that my wife, Sue, had so nicely displayed. Stockings were hung ; fresh holly filled vases everywhere; garlands were draped, and the Christmas angel patiently sat in the corner waiting to take her place of honor. Everything seemed perfect and filled with the Christmas spirit.
Of course, the Christmas spirit would not be complete without our creche There it was , in its usual place, on the dining room buffet. As I glanced at the little manger scene, I couldn't help but notice that somehow it looked different. Yes, there were Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and a variety of Wise Men, shepherds and animals But there was something new-something that didn't quite belong. Tucked in the corner was a small red metallic figure
I got a little closer, and everything became clear My little six-year old son, John, attracted to the creche before me, had placed his favorite toy in the stable, "A Mighty Morphin Power Ranger" --the Red Ranger, to be more specific. As it turned out, the Red Ranger kept guard over the Holy Family during the entire Christmas season •
Who knows what this year will bring?
Stephen Bonaccorsi
I started with just a few basic Fontanini Nativity figures in 1989. My stable was made from scraps of wood , tree branches, bark from logs , and moss from the bricks in my patio. The whole scene was small enough to fit under the Christmas tree
I now have 68 figures and four Nativity village places. The display sits on a sheet of plywood, 4 feet by 5 feet. I get the various levels I need for the scene by using milk crates and boxes; these are covered with brown fabric, over which I spread sand and straw. The ground level is also covered with sand and straw, but here I intertwine miniature lights
I continue to add new village pieces and figures each year Generally, at Christmas we have open house, and I think we're up to a couple of hundred people who come to see the display.
Ron Quigley
Sanion, the French equivalent of "little saint," is the name for the enchanting and popular little clay figures made in Provence, in the southern part of France According to history, Italian peddlers in the 18th century brought small brightly colored clay figures to sell in the markets . The figures so enchanted people that local artisans started making santons also.
Santon making is a family affair, with generations passing down the difficult art from father to son. There are two kinds of santons: the santons habilles , which are clothed and the santons d'argile, the painted clay figures which some prefer
Figures are dressed in the colorful costumes of the southern France region An unending parade of tiny tradesmen, housewives, children, young people, all carry gifts, whether they be flowers, fish, • bread, or other marks of their station in life The gifts, ever so humble, but from the heart, are for the Christ Child . Betsy Bisson, a mail order dealer in Woolwich , Maine, specializes in the clay figures of Marcel Carbone!, of Marseilles, one of the foremost craftsman in France today . "I have been a collector for 25 years, " she says. "Each Thanksgiving Eve, I have gathered my children, and now my grandchildren, around the box of stored figures. Their faces light up as they take turns opening the individually wrapped, and sometimes disguised, pieces . The greatest honor comes to the child who is lucky enough to open the tissue wrapped baby Jesus ."
Bisson' s Santons de France stock consists of the full line of figures, including Mary, Joseph, Jesus, kings, camels, shepherds and sheep. She also carries about I 00 different Provencal santons . Santons de France can be reached at R.R. # 1, Box 152, Woolwich, Maine, 04579 . (207)-443-2345. E-mail : santon@gwi net.
A VIBRANT TRADITION REDEFINES ITSELF
by James Govan
Where previously the creche in developing countries was fostered through the evangelizing of missionaries , today, the tradition grows from secular as well as religious interests that seek to promote the livelihood of artisans and preserve cultural and artistic traditions . Currently, many active centers create beautiful and unusual creches These include Naples , Krakow , Marseilles, and Oberammergau in Europe and Oaxaca, Mexico , and Ayacucho , Peru. Lesser known, but thriving places include Lecce , Italy, Paete , the Philippines , Mtwara , Tanzania and Bonoco , Venezuela.
Even more exciting is the growing popularity of creches in Africa In just the last three decades, artisan centers have developed in many countries Encouraged both by missionaries and handicraft merchants, the wood carving Makonde people of southern Tanzania are carving intricate creches from dramatic ebony wood.
Perhaps little known is that creche making traditions have developed in our own Southwest. Jose Delores Lopez renewed traditional Hispanic carving in Santa Fe , creating scenes from unpainted wood , often cottonwood His descendants , including George Lopez, Sabanita Ortiz and Eluid Martinez , have continued the legacy. Others, like Frank Brito, paint in bold colors
More recently , starting in the Fifties, the late Manuel Vigil ofTesuque Pueblo, New Mexico , started a new tradition among his people. Many artists, already known for their pottery , created nativities in styles and colors reflecting their communities . Santa Clara Pueblo , for example , with its black pottery , portrays dramatic black nativities And Thomas Franco , of the Tohono O ' odham tribe near Tucson , Anzona , carves Nativity figures from the rib of the saguaro cactus
Shown below is a work by Wall aw Suska of Poland.
??? AND COMMENTS
Q.InLuke's Gospel , he states that Mary wrapped the Infant in swaddling clothes. What was that?
A.To wrap in swaddling clothes was to wrap the child tightly in bandages from neck to toe , usually over a chemise Bands could be crisscrossed or wrapped horizontally. The purpose of the mummy-like wrapping was to protect the fragile limbs and make the baby easy to carry At weaning--sometime about four months--the baby was unbound Swaddling , as routine, occurred in the West as late as the 18th century and in some places even later.
Q.Gabriel is the Annunciation Angel, but does Gabriel appear at the Nativity to the shepherds in the fields?
A.There is nothing in the Scriptures that indicates the presence of Gabriel or other familiar angels with "the heavenly host." Angels are considered the supernatural intermediaries or messengers between heaven and earth. The fact that a "host" appears indicates a huge number, almost an army of angels. ("Host" indicates an army in its military meaning). It might Qe noted that another name for the Orders or Hierarchies of Angels is "choirs," as they preside over all the arts , especially music--appropriate to that Holy Night.
FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT SETS 1997 SCHEDULE
Sally Johnson , chairperson of the International Nativity Exhibit , announces the upcoming display at the Washington Temple Visitors Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 9900 Stoneybrook Drive in Kensington , Mm)'land Each year the elaborate display of ten carefull y selected international creches opens to a glittering diplomatic reception. It is open to the public December 4 to January 5. Hours are IO a.m. to 9 p.m. Free . For further information call: 30 I -587-0 I 44
SUBSCRIPTION APPLICATION
I wish to subscribe for one year (4 quarterly issues) at an INTRODUCTORY RATE OF $9.90 per year. A check or money order is enclosed payable to the creche herald.
Mail to: creche herald 117 Crosshill Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096-3511
PLEASE PRINT
Name Address City
Signature X
creche herald 117 Crosshill Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096-3 511
Mr. Ms. Mrs . Dr. Rev . Apt. No . State Date Zip