Nativity scenes come in every imaginable shape and configuration. One of the joys of collecting nativities is to find a new set, unlike any we’ve seen before!
We chanced upon this piece of Mexican folk art while walking through shops in San Antonio’s Market Square (the Mercado). The one-piece set 7″ tall and is made entirely of clay with wires to connect the berries and birds. It is rather heavy with such a thick base and large clay features like the cave, tree and saguaro.
The figures are all attached which makes this is a single scene, but it also makes it a challenge to see all parts of it. It’s a natural to hold in your hands so you can turn it this way and that.
Thanks to the unknown Mexican artist who shared his or her sculpting and painting talents!
This set was an eBay find from many years ago, but it has always been a favorite. We bought it directly from the artist, Pedro Arias, through eBay. We always displayed this prominently on the top of a buffet in our living room in our North Bend, Washington house. The carving is very delicate and detailed. This is one of the best carved sets in our collection.
Pedro Arias hand carves the nativity sets from his workshop in Ibarra, Ecuador. Pedro learned his trade as an apprentice at the age of 18 and has been developing his talent for the last 32 years. Pedro loves woodworking and specializes in nativity sets. He enjoys making each piece original and feels that he is glorifying the birth of Christ with his artwork. This beautiful set is created from Naranjilla wood indiginous to South America. Each nativity set requires nearly one month to hand carve, making this a limited item. Every nativity sest is numbered and marked with Pedro’s signature.
I don’t have the best photos of this set; I need to get it out and set up my photo studio to get better images!
Every once in a while, we find a nativity set that surprises me in a delightful way. This is such a set. Diane discovered it on eBay (the great marketplace for nativity sets!). From the photos on eBay, I thought it was interesting, but the clay sculpting seemed kind of crude. When it arrived, and I saw it in person, however, I had a completely different experience. The detail is much finer than I had expected, and the faces and postures show the character of the people in the scene. It also feels like this captures a spirit of the Malawi culture.
Each piece is stamped on the bottom with “Dedza Malawi”, which is a pottery studio south of Lake Malawi, run as a family business but employing over 100 people. See below for more about Dedza Pottery.
Established in 1987, Dedza Pottery was co-founded by Christopher Stevens and Charity Stevens. Internationally recognised as an established pottery business, the company employs over 100 people and plays an important role in local communities and in Malawi’s tourism industry.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Christopher Stevens has been potting for over 40 years and has worked in different potteries in Europe. He came out to Malawi in the late 1970s, as a volunteer, to start a pottery business in Malindi at an old mission station at the south of Lake Malawi. At that time Malawi had plenty of firewood and the production was hand thrown and wood fired. He met Charity and at the end of his contract in Malawi, in the early 1980s, they set up a pottery on Crete in Greece. In 1987 they returned to Malawi, and in October of that year Dedza Pottery sold its first pots. Since then the pottery has been operational as a family business. Many of the senior staff have been with the business since the beginning and there are in‑house staff training programs to develop talent and skills.
This set from the Andes mountains of Venezuela is a visual feast of fabric designs. The wood forms are subtly carved to give the general shape of the figures, with the painting finishing the people. The Christ child figure is particularly interesting. In most sets the manger sits flat, leaving the baby face up and often difficult to see when looking from the front. The manger here is a rectangle that can stand on its end so that Christ can be displayed face on for optimal viewing.
This is a set that would benefit from being displayed in front of a mirror so that the beautiful and elaborate painting of the back of the figure can also be seen. Each figure has different designs and colors. So beautiful!
Stained glass is a beautiful medium for a nativity. The glass can carry such rich colors and subtle patterns and interesting textures, but it’s simplicity amplifies the artistic expression. This set was crafted by Betty Bock and sold through her Etsy shop. One additional feature of this nativity is that the figures are the same on both sides, so the pieces can be turned around to have the figure facing either direction. This is a great help when putting the set out for display!
Stained glass has not been a focus of our collection, but we do have a few other small pieces.
Continuing the theme of AMAZING NATIVITIES FROM EBAY WITH NO BACKGROUND INFORMATION, here is one that we believes comes from somewhere in Europe.
The only information that the clueless eBay seller offered was “made of olive wood.” Good try, but WRONG! We have several olive wood sets, and this is definitely not olive wood! The carving is excellent and the style of the clothing and faces are distinctive. My wife’s expert eye thinks this is likely from Germany, but Italy could be a contender as well.
Some gorgeous details of this set include the delicate shape of the sheep; the individual features of the kings, including obvious ethnic differences, the detail of the hair and folds of cloth. Even the creche is distinctively European with the faceted edges and Alps-style “A” shaped roof.
Knowing the origin is fun, but what’s important is that a gifted artist used his or her talent to express the wonder of the birth of Christ. As we look at these pieces, we can put ourselves into that wonderous event and draw closer to our savior. That is the real value that comes from these eBay purchases.
It is that time of year when Diane hunts eBay and other online stores looking for nativity sets, and the boxes begin to flow to our house. This year, she found several wonderful sets for bargain prices, but in most cases there is no back story to the piece. The country of origin is unknown, and the identity and circumstances of the artist are lost. She can often deduce the country or general area, but sometimes even her expertise is not enough.
This is one such nativity. It is beautifully carved of a very lightweight wood, perhaps balsa. When the box arrived, it weighed about two pounds, and I wondered is some little thing was packed in a box far too big! The style of the figures, the type of carving give no clues as to its origin. But it is beautiful!
I recently posted to celebrate the artists who created our Ukrainian nativities as the trauma of war descends on them. Suffering of another sort is happening for many in Russia, who are also victims of the Russian government’s actions. Our hearts and prayers go out to them as well, and we pray that everyone in Ukraine and Russia can return to their normal lives. Here are a few of our favorite sets from Russia.
Russian folk art is known for wood carvings featuring bright and detailed paintings. We bought this set in 2005. The height of the tallest figure is 6″, not including the painted stable. Unusual elements include an elephant and a woman among the townspeople visiting the baby Jesus.
2. Carved Santa Claus figures are a prominent part of Russian folk art. Some artists combine the nativity and Santa motifs, like in this carving from 2014. The Santa is 10″ tall.
3. Matryoshka dolls (nesting dolls) are a staple of Russian folk art, with complete stories represented across the dolls in a set. This doll, purchased in 2010, has dolls representing the Holy Family, the Wise Men, the Shepherds, a Sheep, and a Dove.
We grieve for the trauma that the people in Ukraine are going through, and we pray for an end to war. We are pleased to have several beautiful nativities in our collection from artists in Ukraine. Ukraine has many excellent wood carvers. I hope they are safe.
Purchased in 2021 from Handmade Wooden Gifts on Etsy. Artist’s description: “We have been working in wood manufacturing for over 28 years. Specialize in different variety of wood materials, expert in creating and building anything out of wood. That is our family business and each family member is involved in that business. Â Mainly the head of the family is in charge of wood manufacturing and he is an expert of his area. So we follow simple key principles every single wooden item is to be made with love and ensuring long term quality in use. We are located in a small town named Turka, Lviv region, Ukraine.”
We discovered the ceramic artwork of artist Ben Behunin at a shop near St. George, Utah. We wanted more and were pleased to discover that his studio is in Salt Lake City, so we stopped by. His workshop is filled with amazing, imaginative creations, but we were excited to discover that every year he makes a nativity bowl. It was hard to decide which we liked best, so we bought two!
The Garding Family Nativity Collection 