Creche Scene

Abstract

This almost life-size creche scene in San Marco in Florence has been attributed to Giovanni della Robbia. (Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the infant St. John seem to be done by one artist, whereas the two figures currently flanking St. John, presumably meant to be angels, look as if they were added later.) The sculptures are made of painted terracotta, to which clothing has been added. While the clothing and jewelry are clearly modern, the statues were presumably originally also dressed in actual fabric clothes, making the scene more realistic. They also may well have been displayed on the floor of the church, so that viewers could feel as if they were interacting with the sculptures. The current arrangement in the niche does not quite make sense, as Joseph looks out, away from the baby. Such large-scale creche scenes were common in the Renaissance but few survive. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.