Live auction
N.160
Neapolitan Nativity Shepherds and Votive Figures
Palazzo Celsi Viscardi - Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 18, tue 3 December 2024
Unless otherwise indicated, all the shepherds in this catalog were created according to the following specifications: a polychrome terracotta head, glass eyes, polychrome wooden limbs, and a phyldiferro dummy covered with tow. All the nativity figures are the work of Neapolitan artists who crafted them between the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
The costumes, susceptible to deterioration over time, have been restored in some cases, though not always in accordance with the conventional approach. Instead, the restoration process has integrated antique and relevant fabrics. It should be noted that, as with the antique furnishings, restoration is permitted for the shepherds of the 18th-century Neapolitan nativity scene, provided that it does not affect their market value in one or more parts of the body that exceed 25 percent of the whole. In contrast, for those of the 19th century, restorations must not exceed the threshold of 15 percent.
The costumes, susceptible to deterioration over time, have been restored in some cases, though not always in accordance with the conventional approach. Instead, the restoration process has integrated antique and relevant fabrics. It should be noted that, as with the antique furnishings, restoration is permitted for the shepherds of the 18th-century Neapolitan nativity scene, provided that it does not affect their market value in one or more parts of the body that exceed 25 percent of the whole. In contrast, for those of the 19th century, restorations must not exceed the threshold of 15 percent.