Throughout the centuries the glorious birth of the Christ Child has been rendered by artisans in numerous ways. Some artisans produce exotic representations that came straight from the Bible: the Holy Family huddled together inside a cavern amidst Bethlehem's arabesque buildings and a starry night. Others choose to set it in a more familiar terrain, their own.
This nativity scene by Fontanini follows the latter. Here, the Holy Family and the shepherdess are shown garbed in an Italian peasant clothing. I chose to set the Nativity Story high up on the Tyrolean Alps as a personal reminder that even when everything seems bleak, there is still hope.