Books About Nativity Scenes

In this post I’ll share several of the books in the collection. These titles deal with the nativity scene as a subject, i.e., as an artifact depicting the story of Jesus’ birth. Another post will cover my books which tell the story of Christ’s birth.

First I’d like to share a book which relates the story of the first nativity scene.

The Living Nativity: The Story of Saint Francis and the Christmas Manger by Helen Haidle. Illus. by David Haidle. Honor Books, 1998. Hardcover with dust jacket. 32 p. color illus.


The next two books present the history of nativity scenes.


The Christmas Crèche: Treasure of Faith Art & Theater by Matthew Powell, O.P. Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media, c1997.
156 p. illus. Hardcover

Nativity: Crèches of the World. Leslie Piña and Lorita Winfield. Photography by Leslie & Ramón Piña. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., c2000.
144 p. illus. 537 color photos. Hardcover


"Artisans from more than forty countries on five continents are represented, each with beautiful expressions of the greatest story ever told, often with photographs from the country of origin to accompany the artwork. Whether sculpted in clay, carved from wood, painted, woven, or cast, these Crches from around the world are sure to enhance holiday celebrations and illustrate the universality of the Christmas message."



The book below focusses on ethnic nativity scenes produced in the southwestern United States.

Nacimientos: Nativity Scenes by Southwest Indian Artisans by Guy and Doris Monthan. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Avanyu Publishing Inc., c1990.
93 p. Text in English, German and Spanish. Illus. Paperback.


The next two books present the creche collections of two different collectors.


The Christmas Creche by Elaine Cannon. Bookcraft Publications, 1998
Hardcover, n.p. 8 H x 10 W.

"Story of the nativity of Jesus, illustrated with photos of nativity scenes (cráeches) from the collection of Holly Zenger."

Art of the Creche: Nativities from Around the World by James L. Govan. London, New York: Merrell, 2007.
Hardcover.


This book presents the great variety of nativities to be found around the world, as collected by the author and his late wife.


The three titles that follow showcase the famous Neapolitan Nativity scene of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The Nativity: Christmas Creche. Photographed by Lee Boltin. Doubleday, 1969.
66 p. illus.

The volume presents photos of the Neapolitan nativity at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Loretta Hines Howard Collection.

The Angel Tree: A Christmas Celebration. Linn Howard and Mary Jane Pool. Photographs by Elliott Erwitt. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, c1993.
88 p. illus. Hardcover.

"The 109 photographs reproduce in breathtaking detail the extraordinary collection of 18th-century Neapolitan Baroque creche figures."

The Nativity: Adapted from an Eighteenth-century Neapolitan Christmas Creche by Borie Svensson. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, c1981.

This hardcover book contains a fold-out nativity based on the Neapolitan crèche given to the museum by Loretta Hines Howard. It unfolds to nearly 3 feet, depicting three-dimensional scenes from the Christmas Story - the Nativity, Annunciation to Shepherds, and Arrival Three Kings.

Finally, a special cookbook combines the nativity tradition with festive cooking.

The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas: The History of the Season’s Traditions, With Recipes for the Feast by Jeff Smith. Photographed by Louis Wallach. Woodcuts by David Frampton. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., c1991.
297 p. illus. Hardcover.

Each chapter begins with an illustration of one of the nativity figures in the author’s family nativity set. A recipe dedicated to the character represented by that figurine follows .

Countries Represented in the Nativity Scenes Collection

Here is an alphabetical list of countries from which the items in the collection originate.

Argentina
Brazil
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China

Colombia

Cuba
Denmark
Ecuador

El Salvador
England
France

Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Haiti
India
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland

Italy
Japan
Kenya
Korea
Mexico

Mozambique
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria

Norway
Palestine
Panama
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Puerto Rico
Russia

Slovakia
South Africa
Spain

Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Thailand
Taiwan
Switzerland
United States

Uruguay
Venezuela

Zimbabwe

Clipart -www.iband.com

Also

American brand Made in China
American brand Made in Hong Kong
American brand Made in Indonesia
American brand Made in Japan
American brand Made in Philippines
American brand Made in Sri Lanka
American brand Made in Taiwan
American brand Made in Thailand

Also
Danish brand (Dansk) Made in Japan
German brand (Goebel) Made in China
German brand (Schmid) Made in U.S.A.
German brand (Berta Hummel) Made in China

What the Collection Includes

The Nativity Scenes Collection is really quite comprehensive, and includes many types of items related to nativity scenes. As a person who enjoys putting things in order, I have cataloged the collection according to the following categories.


Catalogue Sections
I - CRECHE SETS
II – CRECHE FIGURE ORNAMENTS
III – CRECHE ORNAMENTS
IV – CRECHE TABLEAUX
V – CHRISTMAS PLATES
VI – CRECHE WALL ART
VII – CRECHE ITEMS – Xmas postcards, greeting cards, philately,
VIII – CRECHE BOOKS
INDIVIDUAL CRECHE PIECES


Here are brief explanations of the various categories, along with photos to illustrate.

I - CRECHE SETS
There are individual pieces in a set.
This Mexican creche is made up of individual pieces which are moveable.

So is this set of figures made of tree thorn from Nigeria.

II – CRECHE FIGURE ORNAMENTS
These are individual figures meant to be put on a tree as ornaments.
Here a metal ornament tree holds blown glass ornaments made in Poland designed Christopher Radko

These Lladro figures stand but also have a hanger for use as an ornament.


III – CRECHE ORNAMENTS
These composite nativities meant to be hung on a tree as ornaments.
Here is a small wood ornament from China

Another metal tree holds Hallmark ornaments with an Hispanic motif


IV – CRECHE TABLEAUX
These may consist of individual pieces glued down in a stable or on a background; cutout panorama of nativity scene; etc.
This photo shows three Italian nativities. The white one is a creche set, while the other two are creche tableaux.

This retablo from Peru has all the figures affixed within the box, so it is also a creche tableaux

V – CHRISTMAS PLATES
Collector’s plates illustrated with nativity scenes
Behind this creche set from Spain is a Spanish collector’s plate by Santa Clara.

From Germany two plates by Hedi Keller

VI – CRECHE WALL ART
The nativity-themed art includes framed needlework, paintings, prints, or calligraphed scripture. Here is an 1880’s print of a scene by Gustave Dore

A needlepoint nativity scene


VII – CRECHE ITEMS
This category includes paper ephemera such as Christmas postcards, greeting cards, calligraphy, postage stamps; also items like candles, bells, chocolate tins.
Here is a vintage Christmas postcard with a nativity theme

A Porsgrund blue and white mug from Norway


VIII – CRECHE BOOKS
This includes books on crèches; books about the Biblical nativity story; books of illustrations of nativity art.

INDIVIDUAL CRECHE PIECES
These pieces are only parts of a set. The collector is always on the lookout to find missing pieces and complete the set.
For example, these four vintage figures (Joseph and Three Wise Men) do not make a complete set. I hope to find Mary and Jesus to make up a creche set.

Gallery Arrangement

For some time, I had sought nativity scenes from various countries. The various scenes bring to mind the words of 1 John 2:2 NIV

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,
and not only for ours
but also for the sins of the whole world."

All around the world artists and artisans depict the birth of Jesus. It was wonderful to see the diverse ways that the nativity story was depicted by each ethnic group or nation. So the gallery display is for the most part, arranged on three walls by world area.

Starting just inside the door, to the left is the MIDDLE EAST,

then AFRICA,


Next is ASIA,


then LATIN AMERICA

Next is EUROPE


Europe ends this international display with Italy, the home of the first recreated nativity scene led by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 in the village of Greccio. The last set is the popular Fontanini Heirloom nativity with its various figures and accessories.

On a low table in the middle of the room is the UNITED STATES. These are mainly nativities by various artists.

CANADA is next on the top of a bookshelf that displays varied nativity sets.

Nativity sets that are not distinctly international occupy shelving units on the right of the door – children’s sets such as Precious Moments, Cherished Teddies, Hallmark Peanuts Gallery. These sets of pottery, paper, crystal, depict the nativity in various materials.

On a ledge above the bookcases is part of Department 56 'Little Town of Bethlehem' with its lighted buildings.

The photographs in this post can provide only a glimpse of the inspiring array of nativity scenes. I wish you could visit in person to take in the various materials and styles. It helps us reflect on why we celebrate this day. It also helps us to realize just why this season has such a powerful effect on people year after year.

Please feel free to ask any question you might have or make a comment about the Nativity Gallery. Thank you for stopping by. Do come again very soon.

A New Blog About My Nativity Scenes Collection

Dept. 56 O Little Town of Bethlehem

This is my first post in this new blog, therefore I need to give some background.
My nativity scenes collection came about as a way to focus more on the essential purpose of the Christmas holiday. People often say that Christmas is no longer worth celebrating because, "Christmas has gotten too commercialized."

Not at all willing to give up on the most wonderful time of the year, I thought, why not do something about this overbearing commercialization? It always takes someone deciding and doing to make any changes, be they small or great.

So my goal became doing whatever was in my sphere to keep Christ in Christmas. One way to accomplish this was by presenting visuals of the story of Christ’s birth, to counteract all the secular images so prevalent at holiday time.

With this new blog I hope to extend the scope of my sharing these varied depictions of the nativity of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Castagna Nativity, ITALY

I received the first item in the collection in about 1979 as a gift from a co-worker. The gift was a tree ornament in clear acrylic with a depiction of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. It was not until 1991 that I bought my first two nativity scenes, one in ceramic and another in pewterplate. I then decided to form a small collection in various materials – wood, glass,plastic, and so forth.

Three Italian Nativities

So the collection grew and grew. At Christmas time I displayed them in each room of my house. I also exhibited them in the college library each year, and at a gallery in Worcester, MA, where I also gave a 40-minute lecture on the nativity in December 2000. In subsequent years I loaned sets for display in the gallery. Then, because of all the work of packing up, setting up and taking down, I decided to set up a mini museum right at home.

This major change came about in about October 2005 as I decided to empty the approximately 12’x15’ den and make it into a ‘gallery’ for my nativity collection. No longer were the nativities spread all over the house; instead, the major portion was consigned to the new Gallery.
To make the gallery displays, I gathered together a plethora of tables, stands and bookcases I had gotten at consignment shops, thrift and junk stores. To give the room some harmony, I rummaged around my house and found all the green or red fabrics, place mats, tablecloths, and even tissue paper, to provide a background for the various items. My aim was to avoid spending extra money on installation apparatus. I just made use of what I could find around the house and in the garage.

Nativity set by artist Shayne McCarter, USA

The next post will introduce the arrangement of the gallery room.