The Art Institute of Chicago's 18th-Century Neapolitan Crèche

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

ILLINOIS---The Art Institute of Chicago will unveil a new aquisition this holyday season, " Neapolitan Crèche: The Nativity and Three Wise Men and Their Courts and Treasures." It is a mid-18th-century Neapolitan crèche, and considered one of the very few and finest examples of such a work outside of Naples, the crèche is an intricate Nativity scene that reflects the vitality and artisanship that the city is still known for. The Art Institute’s crèche features over 200 figures—including no less than 50 animals and 41 items of food and drink—all staged in a spectacular Baroque cabinet with a painted backdrop. Sacred imagery reenacting the Nativity has its roots in fourth-century Rome but by the 13th and 14th centuries, in part due to its association with St. Francis of Assisi, such scenes had become a permanent feature of Neapolitan churches.