Rustic People

One of the most notable features of the Neapolitan nativity scene, as we have seen, is the variety of shepherds and settings. The most common types populate scenes from evangelical tradition on the one hand, and secular scenes from everyday life on the other. In all, however, careful attention is paid to physiognomy, both in the representation of different ethnic groups and in the rendering of different physical types, with particular attention to those strongly characterized by their physical defects, such as the toothless, the goitered, and the paralytic: grotesque characters in their blend of tragic and comic elements. The shepherds take on the role of true dramatic "characters" within popular and peasant life, reproduced with meticulous physiognomy from life. These representations, which sincerely explored the most miserable aspects of society, nevertheless lack any social denunciation of the peasant condition of the Neapolitan people and seem instead to reflect the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie's desire for escape and entertainment. Finally, it is worth noting the practice of including among the shepherds figures portraying themselves and their friends in unusual clothes and attitudes: the elegant Georgians in the procession of the Orientals, for example, are in some cases actual miniature portraits of Neapolitan noblewomen.