Rumanian Nativity

Q. Audrey asks "Where can I find a Nativity from Rumania?"

A. Neither of the two possible sources contacted ( Volga River Trading Company of Burlington, VT and the Sandor Collection of New Hartford, CT) carry Rumanian Nativities any more. They cited quality, price, and availability in the mostly Orthodox country.

A number of years ago, Volga River had offered a carved bas relief of a tradionally garbed Holy Family. Both firms were encouraged to continue to search for artists, artistsans, and craftspeople who could create Nativites, especially ethnic ones, in any material.>If any readers know of other sources, please share your information.

Creche Figures Marked Germany

Q. Judy asked for information about twelve inch creche fiugures marked with an S.H. and stamped Germany. She thought they might be plaster of Paris.

A. Again without seeing the actual pieces, our panel relied on pictures. Fr. Tim Goldrick suggested that the letters S.H. might actually be S.K. as in Sebasian S. Kresge of Detroit, founder of the five and dime chain S.S. Kresge Company. Like Woolworth, it entered into the Christmas market in a big way before WW II. (The successor company since 1977 is Kmart.)

Fr. Tim adds that the material is probably papier mache but that the Infant looks more Italian or Spanish and could be porcelain of more recent origin. The size of the figures alone adds to their value.

Creche with Joseph Holding the Infant and Mary Resting

Q. Sue admired the creche shown on the website of Joseph holding the Infant and Mary resting. She asked for information about it and where she might find one.

A. The nativity set was designed and produced by a husband-wife team from Indiana named Farlow (or Carlow, the imprint isn't sharp) who had a small business creating figurines of different types. They did several variations of the Nativity over the years, imprinting the date of issue on the bottom. My son discovered two slightly different sets in a store outside Denver close to five years ago. Friends admired them so we called to order more only to be told that production had stopped and only one or two sets were left. We bought them and Mary Fuller whose set is shown here took one.

Challenged, I then tracked down the company to see if they had unsold stock or know of stores that might. I spoke to Mrs. Farlow who said that they had retired and closed the company but not before they spent a final three months making nothing but Nativities. She gave me the names of several shops who had purchased them but they too were sold out.

In 2002, at the Friends of the Creche Annual Meeting at Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan, Mary found a few more pieces. Neither of us have located any more since. To answer this question, I called Bronner's but, of course, they had no more and couldn't supply any information about the manufacturer. Secondary markets such as online auctions would seem to be the way to go now. Original prices were in the neighborhood of $100.

Birdcage Figure

Q. Lynda sent a picture of a creche, described as hand carved and of European origin. She said that the single figure was a woman three feet tall of basswood. A potential seller explained that it was made to be dressed and Christmas gifts tucked under the hem of the robe. She asked if we had ever seen one like it and what the approximate value would be.

A. The figure resembled a mannequin with a birdcage-like skirt. It looked like the base of many dressed santos. Wendy Reynoso checked with one of her sources who confirmed that it was or at least resembled a 19th century Filipino Bastidore (cage) santo. Without seeing it and evaluating condition, restoration and the like, a definite statement of origin and possible value is not possible. However, after some back and forth communication, Lynda felt that the intrinsic appeal of the figure for her was worth far more than the modest cost asked.

Bread Dough Nativity from Equador

Q. Brian wrote to explain that his ten year old bread dough figures from Equador were beginning to look a little brittle. He asked "How can I make them last longer?"

A. Fr. Tim Goldrick, who wears many hats including those of conservationist and historian, explained that the bread dough figures began as votive offerings for the Day of the Dead (All Souls Day, November 2) when images of ancestors are put out for the deceased along with favorite foods. As a consequence, the images were thought of as temporary. When the Peace Corps came to the Equator in the middle of the 20th century, they introduced polyurethane. And thus was born the opportunity to create figures that could be used at least through Christmas and Epiphany and more emphasis was placed on Nativities. SO...another coat of polyurethane should help.

To store the figures, wrap individual pieces in tissue and then place them in a tin such as the Danish butter cookie tins. Use extra tissue on top, bottom and in between to prevent slippage. Wrapping more than one piece together creates an unpacking hazard. For super safety, seal the tin. The same techniques can be used for straw figures.

DO NOT use plastic wrapping or bags as moisture is then trapped in.

Q. We are going to Italy for our honeymoon and I would like to buy my bride a nativity set from the Via San Gregorio Armeno as a wedding gift. Could you give me some advice on where to shop for reputable and reasonably priced Neapolitan presepio artists?

A. Rita Bocher, editor and publisher of the Creche Herald, knows about Naples and its creche artists and artisans. She explained that figures in the finest tradition of the 18th century Neapolitan presepios--hand made armatures, hand dyed fabrics, hand blown glass eyes, gold, silver, precious stones--are still made by I Figurari, Corso Europa, 51, 80127 Napoli, Italy, www.ifigurari.com. (The man who owns the company, Armando Piscitelli, comes from a distinguished line of creche scholars. See his article in the Summer issue of the Creche Herald.) Each figure is a unique work of art priced according to the character and elaborateness of its clothing. For example, a simple village person might run in the low hundreds while the Magi can go up to a thousand or so each.

Perhaps the best known of the artisans is Giuseppe e Marco Ferrigno, Via S. Gregorio Armeno 8, 80138 Napoli, Italy, www.arteferrigno.it. The figures, priced in the low hundreds, are terracotta, beautifully made and amoung the nicest on the Via S. Gregorio Armeno.

Other shops along the street worth a look are: Ugo Esposito, #46, ugoesposito@export.it; Fulvio Forte, #26; and f.lli Capuano, #28, www.campnet.it/presepe/artigiani/capuano. Many of the vendors also carry accessories, background items, and construction elements.

Happy wedding and happy shopping. We can't think of a more wonderful wedding gift. Perhaps, if you attend a Friends of the Creche convention, you might share your finds with us and display at least one of the figures in the Members Museum.

Ask the Experts

Friends of the Creche has assembled a panel of distinguished scholars on creche-related matters. Want to know what your creche is worth? Where it was made? Where to find a replacement piece? How to repair a damaged figure? Why your set includes an elephant? How to display your sets? What a santon is? Where the oldest three-dimensional creche in the world is located? How to say "creche" in Polish? We'll be happy to oblige. Give us a try to see if you can stump the experts.