Monday, December 21, 2015

A Christmas Tradition


If, like me, you're enchanted by the Christmas tradition of the crèche, then this blog post is for you.   My friend, Jonathan Preece, recently sent me photos of a Neapolitan crèche that he staged in a Mill Neck, New York house. The homeowners, who are clients of Bunny Williams, Preece's employer, were inspired to start collecting antique Neapolitan crèche figures after learning of the impressive collections of both Williams and her husband, John Rosselli.

The tradition of the crèche, or nativity scene, can be traced back to 1223, when Saint Francis of Assisi created the first one using living figures.  Meant to represent the Nativity, or birth of Christ, a crèche includes the figures of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Angels, the Magi (or Three Wise Men,) shepherds, animals, and, sometimes, townspeople.  According to Jonathan, these crèches reached a height of artistic excellence in eighteenth-century Naples, Italy, where this traditional craft is still being practiced today.  One of the more famous Neapolitan crèches is that at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which draws crowds every Christmas.

In the Mill Neck house, Jonathan has assembled the crèche on a table set in the bay window of the dining room.  The traditional stable, which, of course, holds baby Jesus and the manger, was made by Charles Dort, while artist Ron Genereux created the crumbling walls, fences, and Classical ruins out of foam and clay.  Placed against this landscape are the antique Neapolitan figures, whose heads, hands, and feet are made of painted terracotta and whose bodies are fabricated from wire wrapped in hemp.  The figures' clothing is mostly silk and linen, with many of them bearing delicate embroidery.  (Make sure to expand the images of the Magi, below, whose costumes are exquisite.)  And placed gingerly around the scene are small spot and up-lights, which provide "magical illumination," says Jonathan.  Finally, around the edges of the crèche are Columnar Cedars and Cypress, terracotta oil jars, urns, and mossy-clad pots filled with White Narcissus.

As a bonus, Jonathan also sent me photos of Bunny Williams' spectacular Neapolitan crèche, which Jonathan assembled on the Conservatory console in Bunny's Connecticut house.  Alongside her antique Neapolitan figures, Bunny has added pieces that are not so period, such as leather bulls and animals from India.  The effect is a delightful celebration of the Christmas season. You can see photos of Bunny's crèche at the bottom of this post.



























And now, Bunny's Neapolitan crèche in her Connecticut house:
















All photos courtesy of Jonathan Preece

18 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:14 AM

    My favorite Christmas decoration! Thank you for sharing!
    merry Christmas!
    Karen

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    1. Dear Karen, A Merry Christmas to you, too!

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  2. Anonymous8:46 AM

    The White House has a similar creche in the East room.

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    1. Anon, Thank you for mentioning that. I completely forgot about that crèche, which is also notable.

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  3. Anonymous11:28 AM

    I am awed beyond words. This is all the more poignant in today's world. How totally gorgeous they all are! Just looking at the photos brings serenity. THANK YOU!! I'm making plans for next year's décor.

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    1. Anon, So glad you enjoyed the post. Merry Christmas!

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  4. Absolutely spectacular!!! Many years ago, a small shop in St Louis, carried Neapolitan angels made from some sort of polymer/resin. They were handpainted, clothes and all. They came in 3 sizes. I have the large one on top of my tree, in front of an old blue/silver aluminum star which my son insisted we must buy (he was not yet 2!), and 3 medium size ones that hang from the tree. I then have 4 small ones that always went on the small trees on my sideboard (now on my daughter's sideboard). But these...oh be still my heart.

    What a perfect Christmas gift to all of us from you, Jennifer! Merry Christmas!

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    1. srb, Your tree sounds lovely and very festive, too. Merry Christmas!

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  5. Anonymous3:08 PM

    As always, Jonathan Preece's work is magical! Thank you for sharing the work of my favorite designer on my favorite blog!

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    1. Thank you! So kind. I completely agree with you that Jonathan's work is always magical.

      Merry Christmas!

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  6. Mary Beth McCarthy6:43 PM

    How nice to see the true meaning of Christmas being displayed. Thank you for this inspiring creation. A Blessed Christmas to all.

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    1. Mary Beth, Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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  7. These figurines are so expressive, beautifully done. Just beautiful! Merry Christmas, Jennifer!

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    1. Victoria, So glad you enjoyed the photos. Merry Christmas!

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  8. Wonderful! Thank you for sharing it.

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  9. Merry Christmas and thanks so much.
    This post made me think, I never heard "crèche" until I was all grown up. Growing up in the south it was ALWAYS nativity scene or manger scene. "Crèche" sounds so unsouthernly harsh to my ears.

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  10. So wonderful. I grew up Catholic. We followed the tradition of never putting Baby Jesus out until Christmas day. Also the Wise Men started very far away and finally arrived on Epiphany, aka the 12th Day of Christmas. Trying to remember what they do with the big Creche and Christmas Tree scene at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. Do you know?

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  11. This is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing! Happy New Year!!!

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