Alessi Christmas Baubles

These Christmas Baubles were designed by Marcello Jori for Alessi, and Italian Design Company founded by the Alessi family in 1921. He combines two great traditions, the nativity scene and the decoration of the Christmas tree.

These Baubles are hand painted on an internally mirrored glass base to give the decoration an effect of luminosity and depth.

Nativity Retablo

This Peruvian Retablo exemplifies the merger of Spanish Catholicism and Indigenous customs.  After converting to Christianity Peruvians embraced the Spanish custom of creating portable shrines or retablos which were used for domestic devotions. These retablos were dedicated to saints or they depicted moments in the life of Jesus. The representation is often rendered in indeginous artistic idioms.


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Brazilian Presépio

This playful Brazilian presépio or nativity  has 19 painted clay pieces: Joseph, Mary, Jesus in a manger, a stable with silver star, a cactus, an angel, a shepherd, three kings, a donkey, a cow, a donkey, four sheep, a rooster and the plate on which this nativity is exhibited.

Two pieces are of note: the cactus and the rooster. The rooster refers to the legend that a rooster was present in the stable where Jesus was born. Immediately after Jesus’ birth the rooster started to crow, thus announcing the divine birth to the world. The Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is known as the “Mass of the Rooster” in Brasil and certain other countries such as Spain and Bolivia. One cannot but make an additional connection with the rooster that crowed three times as Peter Denied Jesus. The cactus is a great example of inculturation. As each culture started to depict the nativity they added elements borrowed from their own experience. Whereas Germans and Austrians might add evergreens, people from more arid climates added a cactus.

 

Bulgarian Nativity Icon

This three-dimensional icon creates the impression of a cave in which the Holy Family is huddled together. In the center the baby Jesus is lying on some straw. The star of Bethlehem shines brightly above Jesus. Mary kneels down in adoration. Joseph holds his left hand to his head in seeming disbelief. The traditional ox and donkey are present.

Beyond the cave a shepherd who is tending his sheep gazes in amazement at the singing choir of angels. The three magi arrive in the distance.

Two inscriptions illuminate the visual message. The scroll above the cave of the Nativity right beneath the singing angels reads as follows though with some difficulty: Δόξα εν υψίστοις Θεω και επί γης ειρήνη which is Greek for “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.” The two words on either side of the singing angels seem to be Bulgarian:  рождество and христово meaning the Nativity of Christ. Though the и in  христово is replaced with a Greek ι as in  хрιстово.