Something not often discussed by belenistas are the figuras de cacharrería, the simple, roughly made little figures that for years were a staple of Christmas markets. Cacharrería means pottery, and refers to the inexpensive daily use kitchen items, such as small drinking jugs or cups, made of low-fired clay and usually sold at markets. Nativity figures were made of the same material, and often by the same people. They are usually not signed, although certain artisans in Murcia are particularly known for their figuras de cacharrería. Serious belenistas would certainly not scatter them into a scene containing figures, say, by Mayo or some other creator of artistic terra-cotta Nativity figures in the “estilo hebreo,” but they have a lot of charm. In this photo, we see a collection maintained by Sereno, a poster on the wonderful Foro de Belenismo.
I particularly like the little scenes, such as this Sueño de José (Joseph’s Dream), where the angel who tells Joseph to take the Child and His Mother and go into Egypt is shown dangling above Joseph, who is sleeping with his head on a bundle of his possessions and his hat lying beside him. I bought this at a stall in the 2008 Feria de Navidad in Madrid.
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