<p>A rotund woman with a pot of snails, a fierce looking fisherman with his basket of waxy fish, a swarthy gypsy woman with her tambourine, and a farmer with his long-snouted pig searching for prized truffles — I am looking at a world in miniature... a Nativity scene is common practice around the world. <br /><br /></p>.<p>But it is only in Provence, France that crèches are infused with a joie de vivre with figurines called ‘santons’ that represent people from all walks of life, bringing gifts to Baby Jesus. <br /><br />“Making a santon is like playing at being God the Father and, like Him, producing a man from clay,” said historian Marcel Provencal. <br />Little saints<br /><br />Santons, meaning ‘little saints’, originated as part of Nativity scenes that are attributed to St Francis of Assisi whose mother was from Provence. <br /><br />They used to be made from painted and gilded wood and set up inside churches. Later, they became status symbols of wealthy families, adorned with fine porcelain or Venetian glass. <br /><br />In France, during the French revolution, the churches were used as stables or ammunition depots and public display of religion had dire consequences. <br /><br />Because the people were banned from worshipping in churches, they secretly made crib figurines from clay, cloth and even bread for worship in homes. <br /><br />It was artist Jean-Louis Lagnel from Marseilles who started producing clay santons commercially in 1764, and made it affordable to the common people.<br /><br />Today, it’s a heartwarming custom to have santons inspired by folklore and tradition, as part of the Christmas Nativity scene.<br /><br />The santons come in all sizes: from the pint-sized Puces to Grand Santons, which can be up to 20 cm high! <br /><br />“They are to create an illusion of three dimension in the crib, with large ones in front and the petite ones at the back,” explains my guide, Claire Novi. <br /><br />There are basically two types of santons — santon d’argile, which are hand painted clay figurines, and santons habilles, which are the dressed up figurines with various props and implements. <br /><br />A typical Provencal crib scene has the Holy family, the Magi and shepherds as the centerpiece and the whole village around, with people both rich and poor, in their traditional costumes.<br /><br />The complete village may have as many as a hundred little figures with the mayor, pastor and even gypsies included. <br /> That’s not all, there is a perfect landscape created with olive trees, streams and bridges, barns, animals like sheep dogs and even pigeons on roofs!<br /><br />I am in the windswept village of Les Baux de Provence, near Avignon, which is perched on a massive promontory with its troglodyte homes and a maze of narrow passages, dungeons and rooms. <br /><br />I take some respite from the fierce mistral and spend some time at the Santons Museum, housed in a historic building dating back to 1618. <br /><br />Museum of santons<br /><br />The museum houses extravagant Neapolitan santons with elaborate silk costumes from Italy made out of wood, in the 17th and 18th centuries, alongside 19th-century santons made for churches with glass eyes and papier mache faces. <br /><br />There are exquisitely crafted santons elevated to an art form by famous makers such as Carbonnel, Fouque, Jouve and Peyron Campagna. <br /><br />The ones that I take to are the simple Provencal santons depicting Biblical characters or local professions like farmers, shepherds, fishermen, gypsies, lavender sellers and people playing a local game called boules.<br /><br />How is a santon created? <br /><br />The santons are traditionally made from clay, out of two halves moulded together, with legs and hands added using liquid clay called barbotine. <br /><br />The santon is then fired and baked in a kiln.<br /><br />It is then water-proofed with Arabic gum and hand painted after which the accessories like baskets and caps are pasted on with adhesive. <br /><br />Every santon is clothed in lace, silk or leather with close attention to detail: I feast on bright Provencal fabrics, gold trims and flounced sleeves. <br /><br />The santonnier gathers a bounty of things from nature — twigs and stalks, bunches of lavender, seeds and thyme to decorate the santon. <br /><br />I am told that every region has santons that are peculiar, like the bulls of the marshy Camargue region, the lavender sellers and truffle pigs of the North and so on.<br /><br />A santon fair is an annual event here when you can stock up on new santons. <br /> All over Provence there are artisans who allow you to visit their workshop and watch the process. <br /><br />Many French families tend to stick to one santonnier they like and build up a collection of his creations for their crèche, and this is handed down from one generation to the next. <br /><br />In spite of their diminutive stature, the attention to detail is fascinating: a lacy bonnet, a precise fold of a garment, a wrinkle on the forehead, the buttons on a man’s waistcoat, the fleeting smile on the face of a chestnut seller and stones, moss or rocks that embellish the scene and make it life-like.<br /><br />Seeking quality <br /><br />Claire tells me that a Provencal crib can have as many as 55 individual figurines. <br /> “How do you judge the quality of a santon?” I want to know. <br /><br />“Well, if it is one piece with no wires attached, the clothes are hand-stitched, not glued or pasted, then you can be sure that the santon is of good quality,” she explains. <br /><br />Also, a santon is usually signed by its creator, and the face and hands are where the talents of the sculptor are most displayed. <br /><br />I pick up a cheerful farmer with a bunch of dried lavender in his hand and a fishwife with a basket, lovingly wrapped in tissue paper. <br /><br />Much later, when I am back home, whenever I catch a whiff of lavender, I am transported to Provence. <br /><br />After all, the santon is a delightful bit of French folklore that has basked in the sunshine of the region for you to cherish forever.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>A rotund woman with a pot of snails, a fierce looking fisherman with his basket of waxy fish, a swarthy gypsy woman with her tambourine, and a farmer with his long-snouted pig searching for prized truffles — I am looking at a world in miniature... a Nativity scene is common practice around the world. <br /><br /></p>.<p>But it is only in Provence, France that crèches are infused with a joie de vivre with figurines called ‘santons’ that represent people from all walks of life, bringing gifts to Baby Jesus. <br /><br />“Making a santon is like playing at being God the Father and, like Him, producing a man from clay,” said historian Marcel Provencal. <br />Little saints<br /><br />Santons, meaning ‘little saints’, originated as part of Nativity scenes that are attributed to St Francis of Assisi whose mother was from Provence. <br /><br />They used to be made from painted and gilded wood and set up inside churches. Later, they became status symbols of wealthy families, adorned with fine porcelain or Venetian glass. <br /><br />In France, during the French revolution, the churches were used as stables or ammunition depots and public display of religion had dire consequences. <br /><br />Because the people were banned from worshipping in churches, they secretly made crib figurines from clay, cloth and even bread for worship in homes. <br /><br />It was artist Jean-Louis Lagnel from Marseilles who started producing clay santons commercially in 1764, and made it affordable to the common people.<br /><br />Today, it’s a heartwarming custom to have santons inspired by folklore and tradition, as part of the Christmas Nativity scene.<br /><br />The santons come in all sizes: from the pint-sized Puces to Grand Santons, which can be up to 20 cm high! <br /><br />“They are to create an illusion of three dimension in the crib, with large ones in front and the petite ones at the back,” explains my guide, Claire Novi. <br /><br />There are basically two types of santons — santon d’argile, which are hand painted clay figurines, and santons habilles, which are the dressed up figurines with various props and implements. <br /><br />A typical Provencal crib scene has the Holy family, the Magi and shepherds as the centerpiece and the whole village around, with people both rich and poor, in their traditional costumes.<br /><br />The complete village may have as many as a hundred little figures with the mayor, pastor and even gypsies included. <br /> That’s not all, there is a perfect landscape created with olive trees, streams and bridges, barns, animals like sheep dogs and even pigeons on roofs!<br /><br />I am in the windswept village of Les Baux de Provence, near Avignon, which is perched on a massive promontory with its troglodyte homes and a maze of narrow passages, dungeons and rooms. <br /><br />I take some respite from the fierce mistral and spend some time at the Santons Museum, housed in a historic building dating back to 1618. <br /><br />Museum of santons<br /><br />The museum houses extravagant Neapolitan santons with elaborate silk costumes from Italy made out of wood, in the 17th and 18th centuries, alongside 19th-century santons made for churches with glass eyes and papier mache faces. <br /><br />There are exquisitely crafted santons elevated to an art form by famous makers such as Carbonnel, Fouque, Jouve and Peyron Campagna. <br /><br />The ones that I take to are the simple Provencal santons depicting Biblical characters or local professions like farmers, shepherds, fishermen, gypsies, lavender sellers and people playing a local game called boules.<br /><br />How is a santon created? <br /><br />The santons are traditionally made from clay, out of two halves moulded together, with legs and hands added using liquid clay called barbotine. <br /><br />The santon is then fired and baked in a kiln.<br /><br />It is then water-proofed with Arabic gum and hand painted after which the accessories like baskets and caps are pasted on with adhesive. <br /><br />Every santon is clothed in lace, silk or leather with close attention to detail: I feast on bright Provencal fabrics, gold trims and flounced sleeves. <br /><br />The santonnier gathers a bounty of things from nature — twigs and stalks, bunches of lavender, seeds and thyme to decorate the santon. <br /><br />I am told that every region has santons that are peculiar, like the bulls of the marshy Camargue region, the lavender sellers and truffle pigs of the North and so on.<br /><br />A santon fair is an annual event here when you can stock up on new santons. <br /> All over Provence there are artisans who allow you to visit their workshop and watch the process. <br /><br />Many French families tend to stick to one santonnier they like and build up a collection of his creations for their crèche, and this is handed down from one generation to the next. <br /><br />In spite of their diminutive stature, the attention to detail is fascinating: a lacy bonnet, a precise fold of a garment, a wrinkle on the forehead, the buttons on a man’s waistcoat, the fleeting smile on the face of a chestnut seller and stones, moss or rocks that embellish the scene and make it life-like.<br /><br />Seeking quality <br /><br />Claire tells me that a Provencal crib can have as many as 55 individual figurines. <br /> “How do you judge the quality of a santon?” I want to know. <br /><br />“Well, if it is one piece with no wires attached, the clothes are hand-stitched, not glued or pasted, then you can be sure that the santon is of good quality,” she explains. <br /><br />Also, a santon is usually signed by its creator, and the face and hands are where the talents of the sculptor are most displayed. <br /><br />I pick up a cheerful farmer with a bunch of dried lavender in his hand and a fishwife with a basket, lovingly wrapped in tissue paper. <br /><br />Much later, when I am back home, whenever I catch a whiff of lavender, I am transported to Provence. <br /><br />After all, the santon is a delightful bit of French folklore that has basked in the sunshine of the region for you to cherish forever.<br /><br /><br /></p>