Fontanini 5-Inch Elijah Shepherd Herder Figurine

Fontanini is one of the most well-known companies that produce Nativity Sets and figurines. Their charming Nativity sets and figurines are known to be extremely detailed and almost life-like as each piece is hand-painted. They are also known to be incredibly durable, which means that children can play with them without fear of damage. Emmanuele Fontanini, a trained Italian artisan, opened the doors to his first shop back in 1908. Since then the company has remained in the family’s hands. Fontanini, the company, has always been in control of the family, with each generation having its turn to lead the company. It’s now run by Emmanuele’s great-grandchildren. Though they are not artisans, they still oversee the tiniest details of each figurine and set-piece through production.

Creating a new Nativity figurine or set piece is a very detailed process that can take up to two years to complete from beginning to end, and the Fontanini family is involved in every step. First, a design team that includes the Fontanini family as well as top sculptor Elio Simonetti draws up designs for the new piece. After designs are modified and approved, Simonetti goes to work, creating the prototype of clay. After its approval by the Fontanini family, Simonetti re-creates his sculpture in beeswax form which is then used to create the molds for the figurines to be mass-produced with. This version of the figurine or set piece includes all necessary details that would appear in the final product. The figurines themselves are made using a high-quality polymer resin. This means that each figurine is going to be very resistant to breaking or chipping and will stand up to even the busiest of children, while still being able to retain its quality detail. Once the figurines themselves are created, they go off to the homes of several skilled artisans to be painted. They are not painted completely from top to bottom by one painter, but rather they are painted section by section, person by person in a painting group, sort of like an assembly line. For instance, the robe will be painted by one person, followed by another person painting the belt, followed by a third painting the hair. Everything is painted by these artisans with the exception of the eyes and other detailed facial features, which are left to be painted by master painters who can capture the essence and bring them to life. Not only does the hand painting process lend heirloom quality to Fontanini Nativity pieces, but it also gives each figurine a uniqueness, as every painter stamps each figurine with his or her own personality.

• Size: 5″
• Material: Polymer
• Vendor Product Number: 54097
• SKU: 084097