In the Provençal nativity scene, the old stooped woman is one of the most moving characters. She walks forward, her back hunched by the years, a wicker basket in her hand, the other arm stretched forward to maintain her balance. She is going to the market, or returning from it. She has always done so. This santon tells this story in twenty centimeters. The body is made of molded and painted composition, held in its leaning posture by an internal armature. The face is that of an old Provençal woman: pronounced wrinkles, a focused expression, a golden lace headdress over grey hair. The hands are carefully sculpted. The clothes are made of high-quality genuine fabric: a green blouse, a navy blue shawl with floral patterns, a multicolored striped apron, a red quilted skirt with green and yellow medallions in Provençal-style fabric. The basket is woven from fine wicker. Hand-crafted Provençal production, 1960s-1980s. Antique used condition: the headdress is slightly misshapen, the shawl has pilled, a few pulled threads on the skirt. Nothing serious. It is the patina of a nativity scene used every year for decades. The colors remain vibrant, the structure is intact. In a recreated Provençal nativity scene, she naturally finds her place, between the miller and the shepherd. On a shelf or in a display case, she commands a presence with a quiet dignity that earns respect.
Additional details:
- Brand: Santon provençal
- Style: Provençal
- Material: composition moulée
- Material: dentelle
- Material: tissu
- Colour: verte
- Colour: bleu marine
- Colour: verts
- Colour: jaunes
- Period: 1960s-1980s