Country French Antiques

I absolutely adore SANTONS, especially
the antique Spanish Colonial ones.
I'll be heading back to France next month and
plan to spend a few days in Spain with the hopes
that I can find a few at an affordable price.

These photos are from Historia

The name Santon comes from the Provençal word

“Santoun” which in turn comes from the Italian word

“Santibelli”; meaning “little saints”.

They are also called Santos in Spanish.

Santons originated in Italy in 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi

(whose mother was from Provence) began staging

live nativity scenes.
After his death the custom of the creche spread

throughout Europe.
It was during the French Revolution that Santons

became popular. Prior to the Revolution, parishioners

re-enacted the nativity in the form of a play. The

Church further encouraged them during the

Council of Trent in the 16th century,

to help combat Protestantism.

But, when the Revolution banned midnight mass

and nativity plays in 1789 and churches were closed in 1794,

the creche began appearing in private homes.

In 1797, a Marsaillais called Jean-Louis Lagnel (1764-1822)

conceived the idea of creating a number of provençal

santons to add to the crèche. He also developed

the plaster mould, which enabled mass production.

One of his moulds is still preserved in the

Musée de Vieux Marseille

along with a number of clay figurines. As time past

more clay figurines were added to the crèche

representative of the "Pastoral" a play performed

in Provence at Christmas.

Nowadays there are numerous santon fairs all around

the Côte d’Azur and Provence at Christmas time.

Many say that the most beautiful santon fair is in

Aix-en-Provence, the historical capital of Provence.

The fair is held every year through the month of December.

Dressed Santons originated in Italy too and can be

traced back to the 18th century. Dressed santons

represent provençal trades people from the 17th century.
A quality santon is made in one piece (except the arms)

and not held together by any wires. The hands should

be nicely shaped with well marked fingers and the

same colour as the face. The size of the santon must

be fives times the dimension of its head. Clothes must

comply with provençal customs, hand stitched and not

glued or pinned.

Typical accessories are:
Taiole : a red, blue or grey ribbon wrapped

three times around the waste.
Scarf : folded in a triangle, with three folds, the ends

crossed over in the front and hidden by the apron;

the end point of the scarf must not show beyond the waist.

Owning a Santon is like having a little bit of French

folklore and Provence in your home and something

a little magical too.

For some great examples of antique Santons

and Spanish Colonial Art visit Historia Antiques

at http://www.historia-antiques.com

and keep your fingers crossed that I am able

to find a few next trip.