Spanish Nativity

“In 1933 in Spain, Jose Puig Llobera established Belenes Puig S.L., a family-owned company famous for its Nativity figures (belenes, the Spanish word for Bethlehem, can also refer to a Nativity scene). The company is still family owned, with the third generation operating the business. The figures are handcrafted from clay molds, painted, and dressed with stiffened fabrics.

These Puig Nativity figures have been influenced by an elaborate Nativity scene created by Francisco Salzillo between 1776 and 1783 for the Murcian nobleman Jesualdo Riquelme y Fontes. Salzillo was a noted Baroque sculptor of religious figures in polychromed wood. His Nativity includes hundreds of pieces and is located in Murcia, Spain, in the museum that bears his name: Museo Salzillo.” (Ed and Kirsten Gyllenhaal, label text, “World Nativities 2020”)