 – Lights go on this Saturday, December 3, 2022 with the “Younger Foundation Crèche and Bethlehem Tree Collection” at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Curated by Gay…){kind=link}
JACKSON, MS (PNAN) – Lights go on this Saturday, December 3, 2022 with the “Younger Foundation Crèche and Bethlehem Tree Collection” at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Curated by Gay Graeber Stubbs, the exhibition features more than 150 authentic eighteenth-century Neapolitan angel and Nativity figurines in an opulent Italian crèche setting.
“This display was specifically collected and displayed for the children of Mississippi,” said Gay Stubbs. “When my mother and daddy viewed the breathtaking Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Angel Tree, Mother watched the faces of small children light up with wonder at the scene…”
Mrs. Jewell Younger Graeber bought her first four figures in 1987, and like those on display at the Met, the figures are made of metal wrapped in hemp, heads and shoulders are painted terracotta, the eyes are glass and feet and hands are made of wood.
In addition to the traditional figures of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the Three Magi, the collection in the exhibition includes a host of angels and more than 75 townspeople.
The practice of re-creating the Nativity has long been a tradition in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with reenacting the first Nativity in 1223 near the Italian town of Greccio, where claims of miracles followed his Christmas Eve Mass. These Nativity scenes are known as crèches or presepi. Créche (pronounced “kresh”) is derived from the French word for manger, and the Italian, “il presepe,” from the Latin praesaepe, with prae meaning “in front” and saepire “to enclose,” together translated as manger.
Deck the halls, ‘Tis the season to be jolly at the Museum through December 31, 2022 and for more programming on this show, call 601.960.1515.