THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 7, 1994 TAG: 9412060159
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARLENE FORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Angels are in town. Not for long and not for real, but in a lecture and slide presentation by Linn Howard, author of ``The Angel Tree, A Christmas Celebration.''
Howard, who's with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, will discuss the museum's 150-piece collection of 18th century Neapolitan angels and creche figures called ``The Angel Tree.'' The display annually adorns the Metropolitan's official Christmas tree during the holiday season.
Howard's lecture, which is open to the public, will be offered at 2 p.m. Friday at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts.
``The Angel Tree had such an affect on me,'' said Jane Lechler, president of the Virginia Beach Republican Women's Club and sponsor of the event. ``To see it there in the Medieval Sculpture Hall of the museum, the creche scene at the base and all the angels placed on the branches of the huge Christmas tree. It's magnificent, and it's exhilarating and spiritual.''
While the lecture and slides are just a sampling of what the actual Angel Tree experience is, Howard will detail the history of the Nativity as both a religious practice and art form. She'll also discuss the Metropolitan's collection as personally gathered by her mother, Loretta Hines Howard.
The majority of the creche and angel figures are originally from the famous collection of Eugenio Catello called ``The Adoration of Angels.''
However, the entire sculpted, painted and dressed vignette includes numerous cherubic angels as well as elegant angels in satin robes. The Holy Family in the collection is attributed to Salvatore di Franco one of the best presepio (Nativity) sculptors, and the skillfully modeled terra cotta animals are for the most part attributed to Saverio Vassallo, one of the best Neapolitan ``animaliers'' of the day.
It took Loretta Howard more than three decades to complete what began as a family Christmas treasure. Then in 1957 she shared her first Angel Tree with The Metropolitan, and in 1964 the Angel Tree collection was given to the museum. Today it continues to be re-created and installed each year by her daughter, Linn Howard.
``When I lived in Manhattan, viewing the Angel Tree was magnificent,'' Lechler said. ``A slide presentation doesn't hold a candle to what it would be like to seeing the Angel Tree in person, but it does give us just a taste of what it would be like.''
Linn Howard also will talk about the individual artists and the care of the precious figures. She will autograph copies of her book.
Profits from the event will benefit the Virginia Beach Republican Women's Club community projects. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARLENE FORD
Jane Lechler, president of the Virginia Beach Republican Women's
Club, has seen ``The Angel Tree'' display at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York City. ``It's magnificent, and it's exhilarating
and spiritual,'' said Lechler, whose group will sponsor the slide
presentation.
by CNB