Ambrosiana

Revolving Neapolitan Crèche, detail

CRÈCHES AT THE AMBROSIANA
FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF THE MUSEO DEL PRESEPIO OF DALMINE

From December 1st until the end of January, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana hosts a widespread exhibition of nativity scenes, coming from the Museo del Presepio of Dalmine.
On show, eleven crèches from all over the world: Neapolitan, Lombard, African, Burmese crèches made with the most diverse techniques.

Those made of paper, obtained from special “cutting sheets” mounted on rigid supports and arranged in a scene, were donated to the Dalmine Museum by a private collector and can all be dated between the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century.

Among these, the reproduction of the crèche created by the artist Giuseppe Carsana in 1868 for the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows in Rho and the transposition in print of some characters of the famous “crèche of Gernetto” painted by Francesco Londonio, a painter widely represented in the Ambrosian collections, stand out. The exhibition aims to be a contribution to the rediscovery of the charm and enchantment of paper nativity scenes, widespread in Europe since the first half of the eighteenth century, which are a significant part of the Catholic tradition. It is an artistic and cultural heritage which in recent years has been re-evaluated by researchers and collectors, allowing the formation of collections of great value which include the most diverse types.

The revolving Neapolitan crèche is displayed in the Medusa room: a classic scenography in cork, the typical Neapolitan rock, houses this nativity teeming with characters. Next to the sacred scene of the Adoration of the Magi we find scenes of daily life such as the wonderful tavern with the set table. On the back a shepherd sleeps: it is Benino, a typical figure of the Neapolitan nativity scene that symbolizes the one who fell asleep in the old world and awakens in the new Christian world. Some ancient Neapolitan figures are also exhibited at the beginning of the exhibition tour. It is a Holy Family, two Moors with horses, the latter recalling the figures represented in the procession of Titian’s Adoration of the Magi, and three Magi of extraordinary workmanship, with finely modeled faces made of  terracotta and glass paste. The beards, the hair and even the wrinkles: every detail gives great expressiveness to these majestic characters. The dresses are in hand-sewn silk, decorated with golden trimmings and embroidery.

The Lombard plaster crèche, made in the twentieth century with molds and models from the nineteenth century, has come down to us in excellent condition, despite the very fragile material. The iconography of the characters is rich with figures in different attitudes and all finished with particular care, dressed in tunics according to the Lombard tradition of the plaster nativity scene.
The handcrafted production of plaster crèche figures in Lombardy was active from around 1700 to 1940 when, almost suddenly, it ceased due to the advent of plastic figures, which were less expensive and, above all, less fragile. The statues were made in the workshops using wooden casts. Painting and decoration was entrusted almost exclusively to women.

Of the two African nativity scenes, one is in carved rosewood, the other is in metal with beautiful figures of seated musicians playing. Finally, the Burmese crèche is in painted and gilded wood, a unique crèche that encompasses the West, in the message, and the East in the style.

On 17 December there will also be an exclusive Christmas event which includes a concert in the Sala Federiciana followed by a guided tour of the Crèches exhibition.

<blockquote><p>Revolving Neapolitan creche</p></blockquote>

Revolving Neapolitan creche

WHAT’S ON

ONLINE COLLECTION

(158 online artworks)

Moses and the Brazen Serpent, Cesare Ligari (1716-1770)
Armillary sphere, NA
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 145 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Lesenes and trophies, Agostino Busti detto il Bambaia (1483-1548)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus) f. 710 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Madonna Enthroned with Saint Ambrose and Saint Michael, Bartolomeo Suardi detto il Bramantino (1465-1530)
Figured casket, Scultore lombardo
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 860 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Sacra Conversazione, Ambrogio da Fossano detto il Bergognone (1453-1523)
A Soul in Purgatory, Anonimo lombardo (XVII secolo)
Portrait of Giuseppina Negroni Prati Morosini, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
The Holy Family with Saints Anne and John, Bernardino Luini (1480-1532)
Laocoon (copy of the Vatican original), Leone Leoni
The Virgin of the Rocks, Andrea Bianchi detto il Vespino (attivo 1612-1640)
Crib, Federico Barocci o Baroccio detto il Fiori (1535-1612) (replica di)
Male portrait, Hans Muelich (1516-1573)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 21 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Display case with the hair of Lucrezia Borgia, Alfredo Ravasco
De divina proportione, Luca Pacioli (1445 circa – 1517)
Self Portrait, Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844)
Locked out of school, Emilio Longoni (1859-1932)
Mouse with Roses, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist, Ubertini Francesco detto Bachiacca (1494-1557)
Nautilus shell, Sconosciuto
Still Life with Musical Instruments, Evaristo Baschenis (1617-1677)
Saint John the Baptist, Gian Giacomo Caprotti
Christ Crowned with Thorns, Bernardino Luini (1480-1532)
Portrait of a Young Girl with a Dove, Natale Schiavoni (1777-1858)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 663 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of Manfredo Settala, Daniele Crespi (1600-1630) attribuito a
Maternity, Mosè Bianchi (1840-1904)
The Triumph of David, Lucas Hugenszoon detto Luca di Leida (1494-1533)
The Madonna of the Pavilion, Sandro Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi detto) (1444 o 1445-1510)
Portrait of a Young Man, Giorgione (Giorgio da Castelfranco copia da) (1478 circa-1510)
Ceremonial saddle and stirrups. Detail of the wooden horse of Troy, Arte armaiola milanese
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 812 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Original Sin, Jan II Brueghel il Giovane (1601-1678)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 29 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 4 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 307 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Seascape, Paul Bril (1554-1626)
The Adoration, Bartolomeo Suardi detto il Bramantino (1465-1530)
Portico in Ruins, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
Napoleon Bonaparte’s gloves, NA
The Dormition of the Virgin, Anonimo ferrarese (XV secolo)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 139 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Jael and Sisera, Giuseppe Vermiglio (1585-1635)
Naturalis Historia, Plinio il Vecchio (23-79 dC)
The Madonna and Child with Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist, Marco d’Oggiono (1470-1525)
Pietà (copy from Michelangelo), Leone Leoni
The School of Athens, Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520)
Portrait of Napoleon King of Italy, Andrea Appiani (1754-1817)
The Holy Family with Sain John, Tobias and the Archangel Raphael, Bonifacio Veronese (1487-1553)
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Jan II Brueghel il Giovane (1601-1678)
Portrait of a Lady, Giovanni Ambrogio De Predis (1455-1508)
Horse’s head (Copy from the equestrian monument to Marcus Aurelius on the Capitol in Rome), NA
Portrait of Saint Charles Borromeo, Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548-1608)
Portrait of a Gentleman (Michel de l’Hospital), Giovan Battista Moroni (1520-1578)
Winter Landscape with Skaters, Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634)
Plato, Giovanni Antonio Piatti (1447-1480)
The Ambrosian Virgil of Francesco Petrarca, NA
Susanna at her Bath, Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (1609-1661)
Libro d’Ore Borromeo, Cristoforo de Predis (1440-1486)
Flowers in a Vase, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
Christ Resurrected, Marco Basaiti (1470-1530)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1006 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Still Life with Fruit, Isaac Soreau (1604-1638)
The Holy Family, Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (1609-1661)
The Last Supper, Andrea Bianchi detto il Vespino (attivo 1612-1640)
The Assumption of the Virgin, Giovanni Agostino da Lodi (1467-1524 circa)
Judith and Holofernes, Giuseppe Vermiglio (1585-1635)
Octagonal casket, Bottega degli Embriachi (XIV-XV secolo)
The Madonna and Child with a Worshipper, Bernardino Betti detto il Pinturicchio (1454-1513)
The Damned Soul, Anonimo lombardo (XVII secolo)
Codice Atlantico (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of Peter Leopold of Habsburg-Lorraine (later Leopold II), Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 33 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 26 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 844 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 149 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of a Pilgrim, Monogrammista HL (XVI secolo)
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, Antonio Badile (1518-1560)
Saint Michael the Archangel, Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574-1625)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 873 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus) f. 851 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 845 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Dantesque window, Giuseppe Bertini (1825-1898)
Apse of San Satiro and View of the Duomo, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
llias picta, NA
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Jacopo da Ponte detto il Bassano (1510-1592)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus) f. 199 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 3 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Vase of Flowers with Jewel, Coins and Shells, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
Allegory of Fire, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
The Madonna and Child with Saint Peter and Saint Jerome, Cesare Magni (1511-1534)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 117 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 909 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Orrery, Sconosciuto
Portrait of Emilia Morosini Zeltner, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
The Martyrdom of Saint Peter of Verona, Alessandro Bonvicino detto Moretto (1490-1554)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 719 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Still Life with Fruit, Isaac Soreau (1604-1638)
Mercury and Argus, Anonimo genovese (XVII secolo)
Cup with Turbo marmoratus shell, Christoph Lencker (1556 circa-1613)
The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis, Ambito di Francesco Albani (1578-1660)
Daggers with sheath (eared sfondagiaco dagger), Milanese Gunsmiths
Adoration of the Magi, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727-1804)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 71 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 455 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 858 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1058 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 12 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Annunciation, Gerolamo Mazzola Bedoli (1500-1569)
Codice Atlantico (Codex Atlanticus), f. 104 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Blessed Soul, Anonimo lombardo (XVII secolo)
Allegory of Water, Jan Brueghel il Vecchio “Dei Velluti” (1568-1625)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 272 verso, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 5 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
View of the Interior of the Duomo, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
Allegorical Female Figure, Giovanni Serodine (1600-1631)
The Arco della Pace in Milan, Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
Portrait of Giovanni Battista Morosini, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
The Placing of Christ in the Sepulchre, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
The Magdalen and the Angel, Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574-1625)
Self Portrait, Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
Burse, Artista dell’Italia centrale
Latin astrolabe, Anonymous
Noctes Atticae, Aulo Gellio
Basket of fruit, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 72 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 49 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of Alessandro Negroni Prati Morosini, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
Man in Armour, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
The Adoration with Saint Roch, Gian Pietro Rizzoli detto Giampietrino (1508-1549)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 1069 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Flowers and Roses, Gaetano Previati (1852-1920)
Mary Magdalene, Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576)
Washerwomen at the Canal, Emilio Gola (1851-1923)
Atlantic Codex (Codex Atlanticus), f. 116 recto, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Portrait of Paolo Morigia, Fede Galizia (1578-1630)
The Adoration of the Magi, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli also known as Morazzone (1571-1626)
Head of Christ the Redeemer, Gian Giacomo Caprotti detto Salai (1480-1524)
The Madonna Nursing the Child by the Fountain, Bernaert van Orley (1488-1541)
The Adoration of the Magi, Andrea Schiavone (1510-1563)
Landscape with Saint John the Baptist, Paul Bril (1554-1626)
The Kiss, Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, Pietro Antonio Magatti (1691-1767)
Christ on the Way to Calvary, Giovanni Busi detto Cariani (1480-1547)
Portrait of Bernardino da Lesmo, Bartolomeo Veneto (1502-1530)
Mary Magdalene Penitent, Guido Reni (1575-1642)
The infant Jesus with a Lamb, Bernardino Luini (1480-1532)
The Adoration of the Magi, Maestro del Santo Sangue (XVI secolo)
Portrait of a Musician, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Diana the Huntress, Joachim Friess (XVI-XVII secolo)
Portrait of a Young Man, Vittore Ghislandi detto Frà Galgario (1655-1743)
Kids and Lambs, Francesco Londonio (1723-1783)
Clock with astrolabe, Sconosciuto