Kubasta, Vojtech. Betlem Charita. Prague: Artia, 1967. First edition. Large folio (approx. 13 x 17 inches base; stands nearly 11 inches tall when opened). Color pictorial stiff card boards backed in white cloth. Single elaborate pop-up scene. Text in Czech. Printed in Czechoslovakia for the Art Hall Czech Catholic Charity.
Extremely rare Kubasta panascopic pop-up nativity, possibly the scarcest in the series. A stunning, large-format nativity display with intricate die-cut figures and vivid chromolithography. The pop-up opens into a deeply layered 3D tableau featuring the Holy Family at center, flanked by shepherds, magi, angels, animals, and children bearing gifts. A pink-robed angel above the stable unfurls the scroll "GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!" while a second angel greets a yawning shepherd. A gift platter in the scene bears the signature "V. Kubasta," with his initials also appearing on the front cover above the city gate.
Reverse of the display shows a night sky over a decorated Christmas tree, under which a second image of the nativity scene is subtly embedded. Kubasta's printed signature appears on the pop-up, with his initials "VK" on the illustrated front board. Issued without title page.
Condition: Fine. Complete and all original. Pop-up mechanism crisp and fully functional. Bright, clean boards with no tears or repairs. A well-preserved example of a virtually unobtainable Kubasta nativity.
Collector's Corner:
According to the Archive of Fine Art in Prague (ISABART record ID: 88170), this nativity was created by Kubasta in 1967 as a special commission for the Art Hall Czech Catholic Charity. It was not commercially distributed in the same manner as his Bancroft titles. See also the November 2013 edition (Vol. 21, No. 4) of Movable Stationary for Theo Gielen's detailed article on Kubasta's Christmas pop-ups.
About the Art Hall Czech Catholic Charity
This organization—known in Czech as Charita Ceska republika—has roots in the national Catholic charity agency founded in 1928. Originally state-controlled after 1948, it was particularly active in social welfare and spiritual support, including publishing religious and devotional art items during the late 1960s