Neapolitan Presepio, 1700-1830
Italian
Created by sculptors for display and spectacle in aristocratic palaces, this prespio (meaning “enclosure”) consists of figures and animals, numerous accessories, and architecture from the 18th century conception of the Nativity. Created during Naples’s Golden Age (1707-1734) in the reign of Charles de Bourbon and Maria Amalia, the art of presepi-making flourished for more than a century. The figures are exuberant, full of lively gestures and expressions, which are characteristic of baroque art.