Nativity scene (belén or presépio)

Shepherds, kings, and around a hundred more figures crowd around a rocky landscape to visit the baby Jesus. Although dioramas representing Christ's nativity are primarily associated with Naples, other centres of Catholic art production also produced examples. This one is notable for including a dense crowd of figures carved in alabaster, rather than the terracotta more typical of the genre, suggesting it was made in Spain, where much of Europe's alabaster was to be found. The chaotic scene is enclosed in a richly carved frame probably made from a wood imported from the New World.