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Revision as of 02:40, 26 January 2007 by ElinorD (talk | contribs) (Added more)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Fontanini is the name of a famous brand of nativity scenes for collectors. The House of Fontanini was founded in 1908 by Emanuele Fontanini in Bagni di Lucca in Tuscany. The company today is run by his great-grandson, Emanuele Fontanini, with other members of the family, Stefano, Marco, Luca, and Alessandro.
Fontanini is famous mostly for its nativity scenes, consisting of stables and figurines - the Holy Family, the shepherds, the wise men, and various animals. Fontanini does, however, produce figurines for other New Testament scenes, such as the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Last Supper, and the Resurrection. The basic nativity scenes can be expanded to include many figurines which are not generally available in standard cribs, such as villagers, musicians, and the innkeeper's wife; it is also possible to purchase additional buildings, such as the synagogue and the carpenter's shop. Many of the additional figurines come in limited editions, only available for a certain time.
Fontanini figurines come in various sizes, from 5 inches, suitable for a home crib, to 50 inches, suitable for cribs in churches. Most Catholic churches display cribs from the beginning of Advent to the Feast of the Epiphany or later, and use figurines that are close to life size. Each fifty-inch Fontanini piece can cost thousands of dollars.
Each Fontanini figurine begins as a clay prototype, fashioned by the sculptor Eli Simonetti. The figurines from the smaller series are then reproduced in a specially-formulated polymer; those from the larger sets are made from a marble-based resin. Each figure is then hand painted. Fontanini claim that the polymer pieces will never chip or break.
Genuine Fontanini pieces are marked with a fountain symbol on the base; pieces made before the 1960s were marked with an image of a spider, as Emanuele's early work had included the production of soft toy spiders with swinging legs.
Each piece comes with a collector's card, providing extra, often legendary, details of the particular character. For example, the card for Gaspar (also known as Caspar) states that he was the youngest of the three kings, but was about 109 when he set out with his companions to find the Christ Child. In deference to the eldest king, Melchior, Gaspar stood aside to allow the older man to enter the stable first.
Fontanini Heirloom Nativity sets have been distributed by Roman, Inc. since 1973. Roman, Inc. started the Fontanini collectors' club in 1990.
External links
http://www.fontaninicollectors.com/ http://www.fontaninistore.com/ http://www.fontanini.it/