by Kathy Tretter
It’s not every day a visitor from Tuscany, Italy makes a trip to Santa Claus, Indiana, but such was the case last Thursday, November 30, when Emanuele Fontanini, great-grandson and namesake of House of Fontanini founder Emanuele Fontanini, visited the Christmas Store in Kringle Plaza.
Prior to his public visit at the store, Fontanini met with Pat Koch, founder of the Santa Claus Museum & Village, to share information with her on the half-life size Fontanini Nativity she has on display in the 1880 church.
The Fontanini tradition dates to the late 1800s when company founder Emanuele Fontanini began creating crèche figures in the little town of Bagni di Lucca located in Tuscany, Italy. He opened his first shop in 1908, and the company has remained a family business ever since. Today, it is run by Emanuele’s great-grandchildren, Emanuele included.
The senior Fontanini, by the way, was born in the same year the historic church was built (1880), making the inclusion of one of his prized nativities that much more special.
Emanuele explained the area is filled with artists and artisans, as it was in his great-grandfather’s day. Emanuele, Sr. worked for another company until he was 28, when he founded his company. The initial trademark was a spider because he crafted little toy spiders on a spring, but it later changed to a fountain since Fontanini translates to “Little Fountain”.
He also explained the process, from a sculptor starting with clay to create each piece, then beeswax used to craft a mold.
Each nativity piece is hand-painted with the small ones from two and a half to 18 inches made from polymer clay and the larger pieces, from 20 to 70 inches (the ones in the church are 50 inches and the 70 inch creché pieces are life-size) from resin mixed with fibrous glass and marble dust. All the pieces 12 inches and above have a metal coin embedded in the base.
The ones in the church are incredible in their detail, some adorned with silver or gold leaf.
Read more on this story in this week’s issue of the Spencer County Leader!
Featured Image: Emanuele Fontanini smiles as he signs a nativity set for a visitor at his meet-and-greet in Santa Claus. Fontanini is a 3rd generation crèche figure maker from Tuscany
Fontanini signs an ornament for a visitor
Fontanini met with Pat Koch, founder of the Santa Claus Museum & Village, to view the half-life size namesake nativity display of crèche figures in the 1880 church
Koch shows Fontanini a figure of baby Jesus as he admires the preservation of detail and quality of handiwork on the figure
Fontanini discusses with Koch about the family business and about the figures on the display
Fontanini shows his admiration for Koch’s display of figurines
