Giovanni Matera, Ancient Natività Scene Character

ancient and particular nativity scene character, man with monkey, attributed to Giovanni Matera, a sculptor from Trapani who lived between Trapani and Palermo, between the second half of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. Matera, influenced by the Baroque art of Palermo, was immediately interested in sculpture, in particular to nativity scene art and characters. this is a wonderful example of his masterpieces, refined in the details of the clothes and in the plastic pose of the game with the monkey, made of painted wood and a particular fabric treated with glue and plaster. The work can be dated to the end of the 17th century.