THE NEAPOLITAN CRIB

IF THERE IS A SUBJECT IN THE HISTORY OF THE ARTS IN NAPLES TO WHICH LITERATURE HAS GIVEN IT’S UNDIVIDED ATTENTION,  SINCE THE LAST CENTURY BUT ABOVE ALL IN THE LAST FIFTY YEARS, THEN IT IS UNDOUBTABLY THE NEAPOLITAN CRIB OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. IN PROPORTION TO THE SIZE AND VALUE OF THE SUBJECT ENVOLVED, A SPECIAL ATTENTION EXTREMELY SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER STUDIES, ASPECTS AND PRODUCTION IN MODERN TIMES  HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE NEAPOLITAN CRIB. IF  EXAMINED IN DETAIL;  FIGURES,  ACCESSORIES, SCENERY, THE CRIB COMPARED TO OTHER  FORMS OF ART, ARCHITECTURE, PAINTING AND IN PARTICULAR SCULPTURE BUT ALSO SCENOGRAPHY, CREATIONS IN PORCELLANE, MAJOLICA OR SILVER STATUINES; THE CRIB HAS BEEN STUDIED  FOR THE SINGLE SCULPTURED FIGURES IN WOOD OR TERRACOTTA  THEN DRESSED IN  CLOTHES OFTEN  MADE WITH  PRECIOUS  MATERIALS, INDIVIDUALLY  CONSIDERED AS “ REDUCED VERSIONS” BUT NOT “ MINOR”  OF VARIOUS EXAMPLES OF MONUMENTAL PLASTICS; THE CRIB IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST EXQUISITE AND EXALTED FORMS OF POPULAR ART OR AS A COLLECTIVE  EXPRESSION OF THE HIGHEST CULTURE  AND CIVILIZATION; THE CRIB IS LOOKED UPON AS A CONCRETE  TRADITION OF ESTETIC TENDENCY  AND TASTE OR AS AN INDISPENSABLE MEANS TO UNDERSTAND USAGES, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF THE TIME, THE CRIB AND IT’S CONNECTIONS WITH THE WORLD OF MUSIC OR  THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS BOTH IN SERIOUS OPERAS BUT ALSO IN COMEDY REPRESENTATIONS; THE CRIB AND IT’S CUSTOMERS OR COLLECTORS,  PUBLIC OR ABOVE ALL PRIVATE…………….

NICOLA SPINOSA

THIS VOLUME HAS THE UNDENIABLE MERIT OF UNITING  AN ELEGANT PRINT WITH A WELL ORGANIZED DISPOSITION OF THE TEXTS SO THAT THE CONSULTATION  RESULTS EXTREMELY EASY, EVEN  CONSIDERING  THE  LARGE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION  CONTAINED  THEREIN. BESIDES THE EMINENT SPECIALISTS OF THE SUBJECTS, LIKE BORRELLI,  MANCINI AND THE CATELLO’S, WHO GIVE NEW PROSPECTS OF RESEARCH  TO A PUBLIC OF STUDENTS AND PASSIONATE  ENTHUSIASTS , THERE ARE  ALSO WORKS OF AUTHORS  WHO ARE NOT NECESSARILY BIND TO THE SUBJECT AS EXPERTS  BUT HAVE IN ANY CASE  VENTURED TO  GIVE THEIR CONTRIBUTION.  SO IT IS,  THAT IN THE TEXTS BY AMBRASI, DE SIMONE, MOZZILLO, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOUS SENSIBILITY AND FORMS OF REPRESENTATION HAVE BEEN DEEPLY INVESTIGATED TOGETHER WITH THE MUSICAL CONTEXT AND FARMER AND SHEPHERD TRADITION , A  BACKGROUND TO THE CRIB SCENERY , AND ARE  CRITICALLY  ANALYSED BY THE “ VOICES” OF THE FOREIGN OBSERVERS COMMENTING ON THIS PASSIONATE HABIT OF THE NEAPOLITAN COLLECTORS. MOREOVER THE   UNEDITED CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE CRIB FIGURES  AND  SILVER STATUINES, AN INVESTIGATION ON THE  PRODUCTION OF POPULAR SUBJECTS  IN PORCELLANE  BY THE SCUPTORS OF THE “REAL FABBRICA” WHO ALSO MADE  THE “PASTORARI”,  THE DEFINITION OF THE CRIB FIGURES AND THEN OF THE COLLECTOR OF THE SAME, IN THE WRITINGS OF CASTELLO, CAROLA PERROTTI,  RUOTOLO, WE DISCOVER NEW STIMULATING ITINERIES WHICH ENLARGE THE AREA OF STUDY. IN THE SAME WAY  THE DOCUMENTATED RESEARCH  BY RIZZO SUPPLIES US WITH FURTHER INDICATIONS ON THIS POINT . THE LOCALITIES OF THE CRIB COLLECTIONS IN THE WORLD, EDITED BY GRILLO, GIVE  FOR THE FIRST TIME A SYNTHETIC PICTURE  OF  WHAT EXISTS OUTSIDE THE VERY FEW PUBLIC AND PRIVATE  COLLECTIONS THAT ARE  USUALLY  CITED.  SOME  EXAMPLES OF FINE QUALITY CRIB SCULPTURES, STILL UNKNOWN AT THE TIME, ARE  PART OF MANY UNEDITED WORKS  FOUND AMONG THE 174 COLOUR PLATES THROUGH  WHICH GIUSEPPE  GAETA AND HIS SENSITIVE NATURE   LEADS US, TO  FIND ONCE  AGAIN  THE NEVER ENDING SUGGESTIVE CAPACITY OF THE NEAPOLITAN CRIB.

THE NEAPOLITAN CRIB : A MIXTURE OF  IDYLLIC FANTASY AND FAIRY–TALE  ESOTERICISM WHICH CONVERGE IN AN EXTRAORDINARY CALEIDASCOPE  OF SHAPES AND COLOURS. THE  IMAGE OF A NAPLES FULL OF CONTRASTS, RICH AND COMMON, BUT ABOVE ALL SHOWING  THE CREAM OF SOCIETY, A TOGETHERNESS OF REFINEMENT AND CREATIVITY, A VARIED AND CONTINUALLY CHANGING REPRESENTATION TO WHICH MUSICIANS, MEN OF LETTERS, ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN OF THE MOST VARIOUS EXTRACTIONS PARTICIPATE …………