French SANTON DE PROVENCE Lady Doll S PEIRANO Clay Head, Hands & Feet

French SANTON DE PROVENCE Lady Doll S PEIRANO Clay Head, Hands & Feet SIGNED MAGNIFICENT and extremely rare handmade figurine by renowned artist S. Peirano in France. This is a VERY RARE and collectible piece, almost never available. Her face is painted to be incredibly lifelike and unique Please read full description below for the history of these lovely figurines as part of traditional French Nativity Sets. Santon De Provence figurines are traditional in France as part of Nativity sets, showing peasants and villages in everyday life and being made by the artist with as much realistic detail as possible so that they look like 'living creations'. Artists frequently spend hours choosing materials to adorn the figurine after hand making the figure from native French clay. Materials are usually as genuine as possible This lady is holding a real hand braided raffia garlic braid and a real clay bottle representing olive oil, with a real straw hat. She has an underskirt and bloomers underneath her underskirt- 3 layers of material.          A stunning figurine, looks gorgeous from any side   11" high x 6.75" wide, her feet are attached [clay is one piece] to a 3" round base- stands freely. Nice and heavy, will not tip, does not need to be on a doll stand. About Santon figures: In the holiday season belongs to the colorful world of santons — “little saints”. A wrinkle, the shining dot of an eye, a graceful pose, the tilting of a hat, a lace bonnet, a weary back stooped by toil and age, a smile of contentment, an ample fold in a garment—since these clay figurines are often no bigger than Hans Christian Andersen’s Thumbelina, you will not be surprised that 85% of the cost goes to labor, a far cry from the modern mass-production Christmas industry. The making of a santon is a labor of love. The santons of Provence stem from the first living Nativity scene, said to have been created in 1223 by St. Francis, in Greccio, near Assisi. When wax came into use in the 17th and 18th centuries, likenesses of the high and mighty rivaled those of the Holy Family, flattering the vanity of their owners, not least Louis XIV who owned seven scale models of himself. When the churches were closed down by authorities in 1794, people started making them in secret at home, using cloth, papier mâché, even bread—whatever came in handy. It was a daring thing to do in the shadow of the guillotine. Some people even showed them to visitors for a tiny admission fee. In , Jean-Louis Lagnel started a different kind of revolution in 1797, when he molded the small figures out of clay, making them affordable for ordinary people. The word santon, however, was not recorded until 1826, four years after Lagnel’s death. Besides, Lagnel’s santons were not fired, as santons are today. It was not until well into the 20th century that Thérèse Neveu from Aubagne, a small town north of Marseille, had the idea of doing so, in order to make the figurines more resistant. The santon was a child of the French Revolution, paradoxically invented by a counterrevolutionary. It was egalitarian because it represented in miniature the entire spectrum of post-Revolution Provence—commoners all, little people most, aristocrats none, except for the royal Magi. It was counterrevolutionary because it incorporated the Nativity scene into its secular world. But the people loved these little figures, who seem to have made their first official public appearance in 1803, within the framework of the Foire aux Santons, held in Marseille by three vendors. The sale of 180,000 santons, recorded in 1886, illustrates their persistently growing popularity. Today hundreds of santonniers work all over southern France. Many santonniers work in family businesses. The Provençal crèche is the mirror in miniature of a 19th-century Provençal village. There is the miller carrying his sack of flour on a donkey, the farmer’s wife with her basket of fresh eggs, the schoolmistress and children, the farandole dancers, Monsieur le Maire and Monsieur le Curé. Other characters are drawn from Antoine Maurel’s Pastorale , a Provençal re-writing of the Nativity story in which the sacred and the profane are intertwined. Roustido, who arrives late because he is hard of hearing; Pimpara, the traveling knife grinder who never fails to report a piece of gossip; the fishwife; the simple-minded Pistachié; the blind man who recovers his sight on the night of the Nativity .   The world of santons is a fascinating blend of fantasy and realism. A santonnier will spend long hours in the hills in search of twigs and plants for his accessories. A bit of thyme can work for a Lilliputian olive tree, to which he will glue black beads the size of a pinhead. T he impeccable workmanship of a garment, the perfect finish of a buttonhole or of the stitching of an underskirt that no one will see—just as is required in life-sized French haute couture. Careful attention is paid to old customs: the green, rather than white, wedding dress of a bride; the housewife who wears her house keys attached to her clothing, as women did from their wedding day on. Finally, when mounting the crèche, the santons are positioned according to size to create a sense of perspective. Visitors are welcomed into santonniers’ workshops and collections throughout the year. Please see all pics and use zoom Excellent condition other than the very tip of her left thumb is neatly chipped off [see last pic] VERY MINOR hard to notice, otherwise PRISTINE absolutely no damage whatsoever. No nicks chips cracks scratches fading crazing or wear.  Ships fully insured & w tracking provided As always, my items are packed with EXTRA bubble wrap and extreme care to insure a safe arrival. Please check my other listings for more FABULOUS VINTAGE collectibles, glass, china, tea sets and cups, and unique treasures. I add several new listings per week. Please note the following, dear fellow shopping enthusiasts: I strive to give you the best service possible. I am not a dealer or professional, just a lifelong collector and enthusiast. I only list items that I think are unique and of good quality. I represent my items as accurately and clearly as I can, and believe it is always better for you to have too much information than not enough! Please ask any questions before bidding, I will happily respond. Remember, these are vintage items and will have reasonable signs of age and wear which only adds to their personality, appeal and "funky vintage-ness". They are not in their original boxes unless noted. I do not excessively clean items or remove age patina, as I want to leave that option for the buyer. I will promptly ship your item within 1 business day and post great positive feedback for you once payment is received. Go Green! I try to re-use clean, almost-new shipping boxes when possible. I will gladly combine shipping on multiple items for you. Thank you for looking

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