Horacio and Alicia, friends from Madrid, sent me some great photos of the belén in their neighborhood produce market. The store is a small fruit and vegetable shop named Labrandero e Hijos in a community of greater Madrid named Majadahonda.
Look at the level of detail. In the background you can see a notice announcing that the scene won a gold medal from the Asociación Belenista de Madrid in the category known as belen popular (that is, folk belén) . This wasn’t done by one of the semi-professional groups from the big regional belén associations, but was simply something the family that runs the produce market sets up year after year for their neighbors.
The figures are typical estilo hebreo, that is, Biblical-style figures, and are no doubt from Murcia. Is the maker Galán, by any chance?
Here we have the Nacimiento. I liked everything about this belén. The groupings of sheep are very geometric and attractive and give a lot of energy to the scene; also, note the cluster of chickens clucking around the cueva on the viewer’s right.
A lovely scene, and many thanks to Horacio and Alicia. The shop-window belenes are one of the treats of Spain at Christmas. In fact, one of the best belenes I ever saw was in the window of the Prats carpet shop in Madrid about three years ago.
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