Nativity from Portugal

“Nativities have been made in Estremoz, Portugal, since the second half of the eighteenth century. Modeled from local clay, the figures were created in response to the personal religious needs of the people, and sold to individuals of limited means. Figures like these were influenced by the more sophisticated Nativity scenes produced in Italy (Naples), and by Portuguese artists trained in the Mafra School of Sculpture; these more expensive scenes were made by trained artists and could be seen at local convents and in the houses of the noble families of Estremoz.

This Nativity was made in the 1940s or 1950s by Mariano da Conceição (1902–1959). By the first quarter of the 20th century the old tradition of making clay Nativities in Estremoz had died out. The craft was saved from extinction in the early 1930s by José Sá Maria Lemos (1924–1975), the director of the Estremoz School of Arts and Crafts, and Conceição, the school’s master potter. The two men consulted with Ana das Peles, an older woman from Estremoz who had earlier worked as an artisan, and together they revived the tradition of clay Nativity figures. One modification to the earlier tradition was the introduction of a new manger for the baby Jesus, which was painted in cheerful colors. The manger is also used as a perch by a rooster and several chickens.” (Ed and Kirsten Gyllenhaal, label text, “World Nativities 2020”)