Fontinini
The Fontanini Company was formed by Emanuele Fontanini in Bagni di Lucca, Italy in 1908, and is today run by his descendents.[1] The nativity scenes are frequent objects of collectors.[2]
It is currently in the fourth generation of the family, including Marco, Stefano, Luca and Emanuele.[3]
History of the business[edit]
Emanuele Fontanini, after apprenticing as an artist at the age of 13, sold the figures out of one-room storefront, were made of plaster, but were later replaced by papier mache figures with movable arms and cloth outfits,[3] and eventually came to be made of polymer resin.[4] The company expanded into a veritable factory in 1936, under the guidances of Emanuele's sons Mario and Aldo Fontanini.[5]
In the 1960s, the company switched to injected plastics, and Mario's sons opened "Fonplast" in Chifenti to develop the religious figures.[5]
In 1973, Roman Inc. of Roselle, Illinois bought the distribution rights for the figures in the United States.[1]
Artists outside the family[edit]
- Elio Simonetti, lead sculptor[1]
Figures[edit]
Unless it had just been mucked out and scrubbed down, Jesus's birthplace would have been less like an exquisitely sculpted Fontanini nativity scene and more likely to make the Holy Family gag. Yet out of that rank stable came the Savior.
— Debbie Macomber[6]
The resin figures are most commonly found in 3.5", 5" and 7.5" models.[1] Each 5" figure comes with a story card filled with historic facts, and a new "Member's Only" figure released annually.[1]
Figures made prior to 1980 were simply marked "Depose Italy" with a small spider figure, but later figures had the Fontanini name, the date of manufacture and an icon of a fountain.[1]
In addition to their traditional creche scenes, the company also produces snow globes and life-sized outdoor nativity sets.[2][7][4] One of the largest sets is visible in the 1990 film Home Alone.[8]
The largest collections boast more than 1,000 figures.[9]
Annual Releases[edit]
- 2016, Antonia, woman in an apron with two baskets[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Outdoor Nativity Store, "How Fontanini Became the Most Famous Nativity Sets in the World"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 nwi.com, "Meet a maker of mangers: Fontanini to visit Shrine of Christ's Passion", Dec 4, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 heraldstaroneline.com, Dave Gossett, "Italian craftsman Fontanini to visit Nelson Fine Art shop", Dec 6, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fontanini Christmas nativity sets : their history, why they're special, and how to tell the real thing.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fontanini Website, "Fontanini, nativities and history"
- ↑ Macomber, Debbie. "Once Upon a Time: Discovering Our Forever After Story", 2014
- ↑ Journal Sentinel, "Five things you should know about the extravagant Country Christmas display at the Ingleside Hotel", Dec 11, 2018
- ↑ Beckett, James. "Everything You Need to Know about Collecting Christmas", 1998 https://books.google.ca/books?isbn=1887432574
- ↑ Pekin Daily Times, "Festival of nativities open from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2", Nov 17, 2018
Category:ItalyCategory:CompaniesCategory:Figurines
References[edit]
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