Many households have a holiday tradition that involves displaying some kind of nativity portraying the birth of Jesus Christ. They come in all shapes and sizes from paintings or wall carvings to tabletop displays of ceramic, wood or plastic. In America they often show just Joseph and Mary with the newborn Jesus.

I own a beautiful porcelain set that depicts the wise men, angels, innkeeper, a shepherd, and numerous animals. Mine is lovely but it pales in comparison to something I saw at the Carnegie Art Museum in Pittsburgh this last trip. 

Since 1957, the Carnegie has displayed a Neapolitan Presepio which is essentially an elaborate nativity surrounded by scenes of everyday life in 18th century Naples. 

A presepio is comprised of handmade painted wood and terracotta pieces likely created by talented artists between 1700 and 1830. They were made for aristocratic households and assembling all of the pieces may have taken a lifetime. This particular presepio comes from Neapolitan collector Eugenio Catello (1898-1958) and has been displayed in Pittsburgh during the holidays each year since 1957. 

There are dozens of pieces including small items of produce sold by vendors, animals and angels that hang from the ceiling. Many of the figures are identifiable people and the museum points out that there is much significance in the placement of the people and of the dozing shepherd who represents the slumber of humankind as Christ came into the world.

Each figure has an expressive, detailed face and there is a sense of motion about them all. You can almost hear the din of voices and the cluck of chickens at the market. There’s a sense that if you come back after hours, when the museum is dark and guests have gone home, you might catch the flutter of angel wings or the movement of livestock through the village streets.

When it comes to the nativity scene, the tendency is to think of a more pastoral scene. I like that the story is depicted here as part of a busy village where life went on while this important birth took place high on a hill. For the folks working and trading it’s an ordinary day. 

Context is important in any story and I truly enjoyed the context, perspective and detail depicted here. 

The Neapolitan Presepio will be on display through January 12, 2025 before it’s put away for next year. While the collection is delicate, know that the museum did replace the clothing in 2007 as part of the presepio’s fiftieth anniversary at the museum. Much of the clothing had been lost to time and the results are extraordinary. Don’t miss out. Go see it if you can!