Kubasta, Vojtech. Moravske Jeslicky. Prague: [Czech publisher, 1954]. First edition. Folio sheet format, uncut and unassembled, printed on newsprint-style paper as issued. Text in Czech.
Extremely rare early Kubasta nativity construction sheet, preserved in its original uncut state. Designed in the Moravian folk style, this sheet includes detailed black line art with folding and assembly instructions printed in Czech, which translate as: “Glue the crib to weaker cardboard, cut it out and fold under. (Remember window, door, gate, window in the room can be cut and colored or cellophane added.)”
Almost impossible to find Kubasta nativity. Excellent vintage uncut condition. No tears or markings. Sheet uncut and clean, with light toning consistent with age. All parts original, un-cut, un-assembled. A remarkable survival in its original unassembled state.
Note that this nativity Moravske Jeslicky, is still uncut from its original magazine which is bound in a set with other issues of the same magazine into a binding.
Collector's Corner:
This 1954 nativity sheet, Moravske Jeslicky (“Moravian Crib”), is one of a trio of early Kubasta nativity sets originally printed on fragile newspaper stock and distributed through Czech magazines during the early 1950s. The next four were all inserted into Czech magazines in 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954 as Christmas decorations. They were:
Pojdte s nami do Betlema – “Come with us to Bethlehem” (1952)
Lidovy Betlem – “People’s Crèche” (1953; reprinted in 1967 and 1991)
Moravske Jeslicky – “Moravian Crib” (1954; no known reprints)
These first 1950s Kubasta nativities were printed on cheap, newspaper-like paper and are exceptionally rare in uncut condition. Later adaptations in sturdier formats followed in the 1960s–1990s, often with freestanding pieces or more elaborate pop-up mechanisms.
Movable Stationary Vol. 21, No. 4 (November 2013) includes an article by movable book expert Theo Gielen referencing the possible existence of a 1953 version. Dagmar Kubasta remembered seeing a nativity in her home from that year, and the 1953 version does indeed exist. We have it listed separately. This 1954 version is the final in that early sequence.
Later examples of Kubasta’s nativity publications include:
Lidove Jeslicky – "People’s Nativity" (1967 and 1968; possible 1991 reprint).
Vanocni Betlem – Oftis, 1968 (also issued 1990 by Giamon Roman and later pirated versions in the 1990s and 2011).
Prazsky Betlem – Orbis, 1968 and 1969; reissued as a construction panorama sheet in 1991.
Loretansky Betlem – Orbis, 1972 (this edition).
Cesky Betlem – Printed nativity sheet, 1991 (possible earlier printing unconfirmed).
When viewing Kubasta's stand-up pieces, you will often notice a gray or black dog with a red collar. That was a depiction of Kubasta’s beloved dog Alina.