Displayed in:
piazza del Plebiscito, 1, Naples
Closed today: open tomorrow at 09:00
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The Royal Palace Nativity Scene consists of 210 figures, hand made between the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. Each figure, the so-called "triplet", of 35-40 centimeters, is made up of tow and wire, has painted wooden limbs, a face and hands in terracotta and eyes in crystal, all to give the figures a highly likely appearance.
In the imposing staging we can identify the three essential moments of the "sacred representation": the Nativity, the Announcement to the Shepherds and the Tavern. The Nativity is placed high up, among the ruins of an ancient temple, to symbolize the victory of Christianity over paganism, but also to renew the taste for the archaeological discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeii; in the center, an angel announces to the shepherds the imminent birth of the Savior; finally, on the right, a table set with rich diners acts as a proscenium to the cellar, full of all sorts of foods typical of Neapolitan cuisine. Many important sculptors in the eighteenth century tried their hand at the crib art, among these, Giuseppe Sammartino, the author of the Veiled Christ, to whom the so-called Rinascante woman is attributed, adorned with coral earrings and necklace, sitting at the table of the inn, in a dress in red and gold velvet with green silk skirt.
Title: Neapolitan nativity scene
Author: Anonymous
Date:
Technique:
Displayed in: Royal Palace of Naples
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