Rarity Diorama Pasquale Vintage

Rare Easter diorama depicting the scene of the anointing of the body of the recumbent Christ on the anointing stone before burial in the tomb. In southern Italy, nativity scenes were common not only at Christmas. While the classic nativity scenes announce the birth of Jesus, the Passion or Easter nativity scenes recreated the tragic last moments of Jesus' life. These nativity scenes were presented in the form of dioramas, that is, scaled-down replicas of stage sets with perspectives and backgrounds to define the scenes. In this case we have a papier-mâché Christ in the center of the scene, with Calvary in the background, the hill outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus is said to have been crucified. These nativity scenes were common in the 18th and 19th centuries, before falling into almost complete oblivion. The present diorama almost certainly dates from the first half of the 19th century and is made of spruce wood and papier-mâché. It is presented in bright colors and with detailed decorations such as the Corinthian columns, the angels and the baroque decorations. Unfortunately, two of the angels are missing, as well as the cross that probably stood on top of the dome. During the restoration we decided not to add the missing pieces in order to respect the history of the piece. Italy, 19th century.