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THE HISTORY AND ART OF THE NATIVITY CRIB by Geri Parlby

Submitted by Jon Barker on
Man holding a Polish crib

Wednesday 8 December 2021 in Mylor Theatre, Truro College 

Nativity scenes or cribs as we know them today found their roots in the 1300s. They started as display pieces for Italian churches. Often made out of terracotta, these early Nativity sets were displayed year round. Since then they have evolved into a wonderfully diverse variety of artistic scenes. In this lecture we will be looking at the art form of the crib from the carved masterpieces of the medieval era to the extraordinary semi-pagan variations of South America. Christmas will never be the same again! 

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Geri is a former Fleet Street journalist and film PR. She has a first-class honours degree in History and Theology, a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology doctorate from Roehampton University in London. She has been lecturing for the past 14 years both in the UK and internationally. She is also principal lecturer on the Arts Society South West Area’s History of Art course and is an Honorary Research Fellow at Roehampton University.