Santons Arlatenco

Santons Arlatenco is the mark of a single santonnière, Florence Portalès, who makes santons de Provence by hand in Marseille, not far from Aubagne. Her workshop is of modest size, tucked at the bottom of the garden of the family house. Every piece is made by one pair of hands from the first stage to the last, which the maker says gives her small world a personal and unique character. Each santon is shaped in terracotta by pressing clay into a two-part plaster mould, then reworked on leaving the mould and decorated by hand. The matte paint recalls the old distemper finish, and the materials and techniques are those inherited from the nineteenth century. The range specialises in seated santons and figures from the Camargue, with Arlésiennes and Camargue subjects at 7 cm. Shepherds and small trades follow, then the Nativity and the Magi, the white crèche and angels, and animals with accessories. Traditional small trades are often shown in Arles costume. The Arlatenco stamp engraved in the base guarantees the workmanship, and slight differences in pose or colour are presented as proof of handwork. Ceramics are made in summer and santons in winter, with some overlap between the seasons. The collection grows by several new models each year.