Nativity, Neapolitan style

If your childhood Christmases were anything like mine, sometime round about now you’d be trying to make a nativity scene. And, if your craft skills were anything like mine, you’d have ended up with an oddly sticky holy family attended by a wonky donkey.

Others did it better, especially in 18th-century Italy. Here, the nativity scene was not merely a recreation of Christ’s birth but a panorama of all human life. Sacred and profane nestle cheek by jowl, cherubs hover above a mighty city and, in all the hubbub, Mary and her child can almost be overlooked.

Few of these are on display outside of Italy, so it’s a privilege to have one close at hand in Bishop Auckland. The Neapolitan Nativity at Auckland Project’s Faith Museum is one of the more spectacular sights of the festive season. First up, it’s enormous – 11ft by 15ft, with a cast of 112 people, 52 animals and 257 objects set on an Apennine hillside. But it’s the details, not the size, that really capture the imagination.

Although you’ll find the assorted shepherds, wise men and lowing cattle fresh out of your school carol service, this isn’t really about them. Instead, it’s a sprawling representation of life in about 1760. So we see market traders hawking fresh fish while a cunning cat scoops an oyster out of the bag. We see revelling bands of musicians toting their tunes from taverna to trattoria while a monkey dances at their feet. Deep in the caves, a team of hunters corners a wild boar – apparently a nod to the local high-up, who was a keen huntsman. Since he was likely footing the bill for all this work, a discreet tribute was required.

And that’s the charm of it all. You sense that many of these figures would have had a story to tell, even if the details are now lost to us. These nativities mark a deliberate shift away from the idea of religious art as a contemplative device and towards a baroque era of flash and dash. The precise history of the Bishop Auckland scene is unknown, but it was likely commissioned for one of the grand houses of Naples. It’s not hard to imagine a round of civil one-upmanship each advent as noble households vied for the most impressive displays.

You might argue it’s a throwback. Before Naples, we had Pompeii, the lost Roman city on the slopes of Vesuvius. The Roman pantheon, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and all, represented an enduringly human array of vice and virtue. In contrast with a monotheistic idea of divine perfection, the myths of the ancient world are full of petty squabbles and outrageous favouritism. Which, on some level, could explain the enthusiasm for these lavish celebrations of raw humanity. No starchy saints serenely enduring the arrows of martyrdom, the figures in this display are recognisable

There’s one last detail to spot. Hidden away in the bottom right-hand corner, Benino the lazy shepherd boy dozes peacefully. Legend has it that he is dreaming up the whole scene and, if he wakes, it will all disappear. In Bishop Auckland, Benino is apparently due to wake on Dec. 31, the final day of the exhibition.

The Neapolitan Nativity is on display at the Faith Museum in Bishop Auckland until Dec. 31. The museum is usually open Weds-Sun, although hours may vary during the Christmas holidays. Tickets are available at £20 for adults, £12.50 for children, and also include access to the Christmas at the Palace display. It's worth considering an annual pass for all the Auckland Project's museums and galleries in Bishop Auckland, offering a year of unlimited access to Auckland Palace, the Faith Museum, the Spanish Gallery and the Mining Art Gallery for £27 / £13.50.