fine clothing

The holy family takes a voyage together on a Peruvian canoe. Wearing traditional Andean garb, the family is crafted of fine ceramic and diligently painted by hand. Feriberto Aylas designs this charming nativity scene, working with his close family to create it.

Inspired by the customs and traditional clothing of the Andes, Feriberto Aylas presents a twist on the classic nativity. Wearing a chullo hat, Joseph looks over Mary with baby Jesus in her arms. Joined by two sheep, the Holy Family is crafted of fine ceramic, each detail painted by hand.

The tenets of Buddhism – that a wholesome existence guided by understanding, contemplation, and concentration will release a person from the painful cycle of life and death – inspire Wayan Rendah in the creation of this sculpture. Fine details accentuate the smooth head and portly belly, revealing the artisan's ability to create emotive designs with local suar wood. Delicately hand-painted designs, such as the lotus flowers on the robe, complement the material's natural allure.

Seated on a tiger, Shiva lifts a hand in blessing. Regarded as the celestial overlord of deliverance through destruction, Shiva has his customary trident by his side as a show of divinity. The hissing cobra that slithers around his head symbolizes his potent divine destructivity, and his matted hair is thought to contain the flow of the Ganges River. Shiva is one of the most complex gods of India, embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. He is both the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger. Unaffected by the whims of the world, he is innocent and guileless, pure of mind and heart. He does not adorn his body with jewels or flowers — he mats his hair and dresses in animal hide.

Ida Bagus Lawa Bargawa is a master of the batik technique, sketching the figures by hand and applying the wax resist freehand, which requires great skill. A different dye bath is required for each separate color in his elegant and complex batik "painting."

With eyes closed, Mary and Joseph meditate on the miracle of birth as they keep watch over the newborn Christ child sleeping in a bed of hay. Guillermo and Eduardo depict the Holy Family as diminutive figurines, finely painting the details by hand. They wear the sober, ceremonial dress of the Peruvian Andes and share the moment with a donkey, a cow and a fluffy lamb.