INSIGHTS.

APPRECIATE IT.

>> THANK YOU.

>> FOR SIX WEEKS A DRAMATIC WORK

OF RELIGIOUS ART IS UNVEILED IN

CHICAGO.

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS THE ONLY

TIME TO SEE A RARE NATIVITY

SCENE THAT BLENDS SPIRITUAL AND

EARTHLY PURSUITS.

"CHICAGO TONIGHT" VISITED LAST

YEAR AND FOUND A PIECE OF ART

SEEN IN CHURCHES IN THE 18TH

CENTURY NAPLES.

HERE IS ANOTHER LOOK.

[♪♪♪]

>> IT'S CALLED A CRECHE.

IT IS A TRADITIONAL NATIVITY

SCENE WITH THE INFANT JESUS, THE

HOLY FAMILY AND THE THREE WISE

MEN.

BUT THIS ONE HAS A CAST OF

HUNDREDS.

>> A CRECHE IS A SCENE THAT AT

THE VERY CORE SHOWS THE SCENE OF

THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.

BUT THEN IN THE NEOPOLITAN

TRADITION THAT WE ARE SHOWING

YOU WILL SEE THAT THAT EXPANDS

TO A CAST OF CHARACTERS.

SO IT INCLUDES THE ARRIVAL OF

THE THREE KINGS, AND IT INCLUDES

THE ANNOUNCATION OF CHRIST'S

BIRTH TO THE SHEPHERDS AND A

TAVERN SCENE WHICH BRINGS THE

STREET LIFE OR CHARACTERS FROM

DAILY LIFE IN NAPLES IN THE 18TH

AND 19TH CENTURY.

>> YES, THE SURROUNDING SETTING

IS NAPLES NOT BETHLEHEM.

COSTUMES REFLECT THE NEOPOLITAN

FASHIONS OF THE LATE 18TH

CENTURY.

IT IS A MIX OF THE CONTEMPORARY

FOR THE ERA WITH THE ORIGIN

STORY OF CHRIST.

THIS CRECHE WAS MADE IN NAPLES

BEGINNING IN THE MID-1700'S BY

ARTIST AND CRAFTSMEN

COMMISSIONED BY THE CATHOLIC

CHURCH.

THEY WENT FOR BAROQUE.

>> THE MAKING OF THE CRECHE

BECAME PARTICULAR.

IT BECAME AN ASSEMBLY LINE

PROCESS WHERE ONE ART TIFT WOULD

SPECIAL LIGHT IN MAKING THE

HEADS OF THE FIGURES AND

PAINTING THEM AND ANOTHER ARTIST

WOULD MAKE THE WIRE ARMATURE OF

THE BODY THAT CAN BE MOLDED.

AN ARTIST WOULD MAKE THE

COSTUME.

ARTIST WOULD MAKE THE ANIMALS

THAT POPULATE THE SCENE AND ALSO

THE SMALL STILL LIFE OBJECTS SO

THE SILVER TABLE SETTINGS WERE

MADE BY A SILVER SMITH AND THE

INSTRUMENTS BY LOOP MAKERS.

[♪♪♪]

>> INSTALLED IN A 14 BY 15 FOOT

CABINET THE CRECHE IS A SCENE

FILLED TO THE CORNERS WITH

CRAFTED FIGURESSISM THE FIGURES

ARE MADE FROM A MIX OF MATERIALS

AND WE HAVE ON VIEW IN THE

GALLERY AN EXAMPLE HOW THE

FIGURES ARE PUT TOGETHER.

THE BODY OF THE FIGURE IS A WIRE

ARMATURE THAT IS COVERED IN A

HEMP LIKE, STRAW LIKE MATERIAL

TO THE ARMS AND LEGS CAN BE BENT

TO HELP THE AASSEMBLY OF THE

SCENE AND IT HAS A TERRACOTTA

HEAD THAT IS PAINTED AND THE

HANDS AND THE FEET ARE MADE OF

WOOD ORATOR RA COT TA AS WELL

AND A REAL SILK COSTUME IS PUT

ON TOP.

>> THE COSTUMES ARE THE REASON

THE CRECHE MUST REMAIN IN THE

DARK FOR MUCH OF THE YEAR.

>> WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO EXHIBIT

THE CRECHE FOR ABOUT SIX WEEKS A

YEAR AND THAT IS BECAUSE THE

STERILES ARE FRAGILE --

MATERIALS ARE FRAGILE AND THE

SILK COSTUMES ARE LIKELY TO FADE

SO IT HAS TO REST IN THE

DARKNESS FOR A MAJORITY OF THE

YEAR WHICH IS A GREAT EXCUSE FOR

US TO CELEBRATE IT AT

CHRISTMASTIME.

>> THERE ARE BELIEVED TO BE A

DOZEN CRECHES IN THE WORLD OF

THIS QUALITY AND SCALE.

THE ART INSTITUTE ACQUIRED

THEIRS FROM AN ITALIAN COLLECTOR

IN 2013.

IT WAS ASSEMBLED AND COMES FROM

DIFFERENT SOURCES.

THOUGH IT'S ONLY ON VIEW 40 DAYS

A YEAR, THE CRECHE IS TOO BIG TO

MOVE.

>> WHEN WE CLOSE ON THIS

EXHIBITION WE INSTALL A WALL IN

FRONT OF IT IN THE GALLERY AND

KEEP IT IN THE DARK FOR THE

MAJORITY OF THE YEAR.

WHEN YOU COME AND VISIT THE

MUSEUM YOU WOULD NOT KNOW IT'S

HIDING BEHIND THE WALL.

>> BY THE WAY, THE WORD CRECHE

COMES FROM THE FRENCH FOR CRIB.

THE ART INSTITUTE'S CRECHE IS ON