Cheerful Baby

This six-hundred-year-old group of figures is a small treasure, and on public display for the first time. It shows a deeply human scene, typical of medieval art. Cheerfully, God’s Only Son reaches out for the shining gold in the casket of one of the Three Wise Men, who has removed his crown. Adoration of the Three Wise Men, around 1400/20, Dominikanerinnenkloster Maria Zuflucht, Weesen

© Swiss National Museum

On the Cold Floor

The left wing of this small altar from a private home shows Baby Jesus lying naked on the floor. In the central panel, Mary is nursing her son; on the right, Baby Jesus, sitting on his mother’s lap, welcomes the Three Wise Men. Family altar, probably Basel, 1484, Swiss National Museum

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Christmas Tree Decorations

In Christian tradition, Christmas trees represent the Tree of Paradise. Early tree decorations included apples, nuts, and pastries. Over time, these were replaced by elaborate and playful decorations. The religious connotation has become secondary – today, Baby Jesus travels in a car, boat, or plane.

© Swiss National Museum

Travel Images and Collectibles

On travels, Christian believers often rely on such tiny Christ Childs in neatly designed little boxes or capsules for saying their prayers. The artistically crafted, miniature cribs are also popular collectibles. Baby Jesus in artificial nutshell, 19th c., Weihnachtssammlung Doris Albrecht-Mäder, Männedorf

© Swiss National Museum

Nativity Scene as a Plaything

Apart from its religious and cultural significance, Christmas has become a commercial event today. Some nativity sets now come in the shape of toys. Nativity set, Playmobil, 2018, Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel

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Noble People in Ruins

During the age of Baroque, the Church sought to bring the Christian faith to life through splendour and opulence. This Neapolitan nativity scene of 2006 revisits this idea of the 17th and 18th centuries. Mary and Joseph look noble amidst the ruins. The Three Wise Men are dressed in fine clothes. Mario Capuano, Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel

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True-to-life Images

This late medieval figure shows Mary as the Queen of Heaven standing on a sickle moon. The abstract symbolism is a reference to the apocalypse. However, the artistic rendition is quite lifelike: to Jesus’s delight, his mother carries him in her arms on his tummy. Sickle-moon Madonna, early 16th c., Swiss National Museum

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The Holy Nuclear Family

In this work, the three members of the Holy Family merge to form an intimate entity. The sculpture radiates support, protection, and love. The ideal of the nuclear family found growing acceptance in the 19th century. At that time, tender depictions of the Holy Family were particularly popular. Susana Polac (1915-1991), Holy Family, around 1985, Kunstsammlung des Klosters Einsiedeln

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Christmas in Burlap

Workers on a Brazilian coffee plantation made this burlap nativity scene in the 1920s. Forced labour and poverty were commonplace in plantation life. This lends the scene a special significance – after all, Jesus cared deeply for the poor and disadvantaged. Nativity scene, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1920s, KrippenWelt Stein am Rhein

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A Couple in Love

In the narratives, the emotional relationship between Mary and Joseph remains undefined. All their affection is for Baby Jesus. From the 19th century onward, when love marriage became an ideal, the focus shifted to emotions. In this modern Peruvian nativity scene, Mary’s kiss bears evidence of her love for Joseph. Maximiano Ochante Lozano (b. 1959), Holy Family, Ayacucho, Peru, around 1990, KrippenWelt Stein am Rhein

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Baby Bump

Pregnant Mary is shown wearing flowing robes, her baby belly barely visible. On some medieval sculptures, the baby is painted on the belly. Occasionally, it contains a removable figure of Jesus inside. Hilario Mendívil (1929-1977), Pregnant Mary, around 1960/70, KrippenWelt Stein am Rhein

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A view of the exhibition

© Swiss National Museum

A view of the exhibition

© Swiss National Museum

A view of the exhibition

© Swiss National Museum