Introduction
On Paper: Nativity Imagery from the Marian Library
The highest-profile collection in the Marian Library at the University of Dayton is its approximately 3,600 Nativity sets, or crèches, which come from around the world and are made in a wide variety of artistic media. Most years, library personnel and volunteers curate an in-person exhibit of these sets during Advent and Christmastime, attracting guests by the thousands. In 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, an in-person exhibit was not possible — but this online iteration provided the opportunity to shed some light on artistic portrayals of the Incarnation in an often uncelebrated medium: paper.
The birth of Jesus Christ has been depicted on paper (or precursors to the medium) for hundreds of years. Prior to the introduction of printing in Europe, monks and lay artists illuminated the infancy narrative on vellum — a smooth and durable predecessor to paper typically made from calfskin. Vellum was a luxury material primarily available only to the aristocracy and upper classes, typically used for the pages of hand-illustrated manuscript books. The Nativity continued to be depicted in luxury media, such as the paintings of the Madonna and Child that exemplify Renaissance art. But as papermaking and printing technologies developed and spread in Europe, images of Christ’s birth became more accessible to a much wider audience, through ephemeral media such as holy cards and, as printing technologies evolved into the 19th century, the commercial printing of entities such as the St. Sulpice publishing center in Paris.
Beyond Europe, people worldwide have celebrated Christmas by creating and sharing images of the Nativity on paper. The widespread appeal of the subject reflects, of course, the global nature of the Catholic Church, as well as the appeal of the Nativity story well beyond Catholicism. In Japan, washi paper is a common medium for Nativities, while in China, Nativity images are often found on paper made from varieties of the mulberry tree and other local native plants. The Marian Library’s archival collection of international postage stamps demonstrates the wide variety of interpretations of the Nativity that are possible even in a very small format.
The medium of paper and depictions of the Nativity have intersected and evolved throughout modern history. For example, during the Great Depression in the 1930s, those without the financial means to purchase a traditional Nativity set could often obtain one on paper, allowing ownership of a Nativity to cross class boundaries. In the Czech Republic, a tradition of exuberant, mechanical paper Nativities flourished during, of all times, the Soviet occupation of the mid-20th century. From the pages of books to postcards to stamps, the images in this exhibit explore depictions of Christ's birth in this humble yet versatile medium. The exhibit showcases Nativity imagery from the Marian Library’s expansive collections and features books, archival materials and artwork.