Fanal with Christ Child lying on one side

Christ Child is crowned with a segmented star shaped halo, and resting on a cushion decorated with metal filigree. The environment is profusely embellished with orange blossoms garlands, colorful flowers, leaves and fruits, some bees and a nest with a little bird that rests at Jesus’ feet. Besides, the oval wooden base offers a floral marquetry detail in contrasting colors.
The Museo de Artes de la Universidad de los Andes, Santiago de Chile, exhibits a group of 16 "fanales". A "fanal" is a structure that consists of a wooden base on which a bell glass or bell jar is mounted, used in Europe during the eighteenth century for scientific and decorative purposes. When transferred to Latin America it takes a totally different character: a “fanal” becomes a devotional object from the moment a religious Christian figure is placed in the inside.