Lladro has made a number of Nativities where the three main characters are formed into a single figurine. The one piece nativities are produced in both the usual Lladro porcelain technique and a few in the “gres” technique. The “gres” figurines use the clay body to effect in the final product, resulting in a final product being less polished and cool. All the Lladro one piece nativities use natural colors for the figures and clothing.

Here are the ones I found information for, with my description of the figures, by title.

“Birth of Jesus”
Joseph is standing, with brown hair and beard, looking down at Jesus on Mary’s lap. Mary is seated. Jesus is sitting up and seems to be a toddler. He faces Mary and has His back to the viewer. A swirl of fabric encompasses the three figures, tying them together and intimating a form of protection. That fabric and the way Mary’s cloak is blown away from her face and left arm give the figurine a sense of motion. It is 12 x 8 1/2 inches.

“Blessed Event”
Joseph is standing to Mary’s right, leaning on a staff and looking down at Jesus. He is bearded and his head is covered in the traditional head wear of the Middle East. Mary is seated on a low rock(?) holding Jesus up so she can touch his head with her right cheek. Mary is completely enveloped in a blue mantle, with only her face and the toes of one foot showing. Mary has dark hair and the darker complexion of the “gres” clay. Jesus has fair hair, and his right arm curled across chest to touch Mary’s chin. This is a less polished treatment of the subject, fitting the “gres” designation. It was first issued in 2002 and retired in 2008. The figurine is 17 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches.

“Blessed Family”
Both Joseph and Mary are standing up, and both are looking down at a baby Jesus in Mary’s arms. Jesus has His head against Mary’s left shoulder and is completely swaddled. Joseph has brown hair and a beard, Mary is blond. This figurine was first issued in 2001 and was retired in 2008. It is 15 x 8 1/4 inches.

“Blessed Family”
Joseph stands to Mary’s right, leaning on staff, looking over her shoulder at Jesus. Joseph is bearded and has brown hair. Mary is seated with toddler Jesus sitting on her lap, a swaddling cloth across His loins. Jesus is twisted a little to reach back to touch Mary’s face. Mary is blond and Jesus has curly, light brown hair. It was first issued in 1986, and was retired in 1992 or 1998. The figurine is 10 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.

“Blessed Family Mural”
This is another, slightly smaller version of the “Blessed Family” figurine described immediately above, except the figures are not in the round. They appear to be only partially carved from a block of marble. Joseph’s head, Mary’s upper body and head, and all of Jesus are represented in the round, the rest of the figures still remain encased in the stone. The entire figurine is white or a soft, light gray with no other colors. This figurine was first issued in 2006 and was retired in 2010. The overall size is 9 x 5 1/2 inches.

“A Child is Born”
This figurine is also from Nao by Lladro. Joseph stands behind a seated Mary, leaning on a staff and looking over her head at Jesus. Joseph’s hair is a medium brown and he has a beard. Mary, with lighter brown hair, holds baby Jesus on her lap, his head in crook of left her elbow. Jesus faces out and can be clearly seen by the viewer. This figurine is 10 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.

“Holy Family”
This in the three-in-one Nativity figurine that most closely resembles the usual Lladro figure: soft natural colors and minimal detail on a slim figures. It definitely has a modern look compared to the other Nativity figurines, with elongated bodies, long necks, and small heads. Joseph is standing to the right of Mary, who is seated. Both Mary and Joseph appear to be young, and Joseph has brown hair and a partial beard. Mary holds Jesus in her arms, with His head in the crook of her right elbow. This figurine was first issued in 1970 and was retied in 1992. It is 8 3/4 x 2 3/4 inches.

This is the end of Part 1. Go to Part 2.

You can see many of these figurines at the Lladro Historical Catalog.

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