A POLYCHROME MIXED MEDIA NATIVITY SCENE

SAXONY, PROBABLY ERZGEBIRGE, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

Details

A POLYCHROME MIXED MEDIA NATIVITY SCENE
SAXONY, PROBABLY ERZGEBIRGE, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY
Set in a wooden carcass painted on the interior with a mountainous landscape; with an extensive cityscape to the right, the stable in the centre and numerous figures and sheep on a hillside to the left; with a later protective plexiglass cover in a metal frame; now fitted with a flourescent light at the top.
Replacements; minor restorations.
66 x 33 x 20.7/8 in. (168.9 x 83.8 x 53 cm.)

Literature

The present lot will be included in the forthcoming book:
M. Bachmann, Krippen aus dem Erzgebirge, Dresden.

Exhibited

On loan to the Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, 1987-1997.

Lot Essay

This elaborate and impressive 'Christmas Mountain' belongs to the tradition of nativity scenes worked out of a medley of materials to create a colourful and textured narrative typical of the Erzegirbe, a mountainous region south west of Dresden. The influence of Bohemian crib carvers, as well as the paintings of the Nazarines were important inspiration for the genre.

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