New findings on the baroque Capuchin Christmas crib in the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Hradčany: Chapuchin priest Oliver Steigerle as an active artist
Abstract
The unique Baroque Christmas crib of the Prague Capuchins in the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Hradčany has not yet been studied in detail. It is a assemblage of life-size figures made mainly of papier mâché, wood and laminated textiles.
The question of the authorship of the figures has long remained unanswered, and doubts in this regard have also been raised by obvious analogies to the Neapolitan tradition of Nativity scenes and the disunity of the assemblage. From this point of view, newly researched archival materials provided new findings to the author, the Capuchin priest Oliver Steigerle (1741-1790), and on the time of origin and the location of the crib.
The article also traces the career of the author of the crib and his work in the Capuchin order.