Kubasta, Vojtech. Vanocni Betlem. [Czechoslovakia: Oftis, 1968.] Original 1968 edition. Pop-up nativity complete with freestanding figures. Chromolithographed card construction. Measures approximately 6 inches (15 cm) tall.
Condition: Near Fine. Complete and all original. No damage or missing parts. Includes both original free-standing interlocking figures. First edition distinguished by tan rough-textured backing paper; later editions used smooth white stock.
Issued without printed publisher's details, this palm-tree-style nativity scene features a tri-panel folding design with integrated pop-up tableau and two interlocking freestanding characters. This is not one of the more common later reissues or pirated editions of the 1990s.
Collector's Corner:
According to the book Pop-ups, Illustrated Books, and Graphic Designs of Czech Artist and Paper Engineer, Vojtech Kubašta (1914 - 1992) by James A Findlay and Ellen G.K. Rubin, "Among the more collectible and rare of Kubašta’s pop-ups are the nativity tableaux. It is estimated that he made fifteen to seventeen nativities including table decorations, greeting cards, and crèches"
See the November 13, Volume 21, Number 4 edition of Movable Stationary for a detailed article by Theo Gielen on Kubasta's Christmas-themed works. This 1968 nativity is referenced among the rarest early variants, with its original standing figures rarely surviving intact.
His early cut-out sets appeared in Czech magazines during the 1950s, with the earliest known as follows:
Ceske Jeslicky (Czech Crib) – 1951
Pojdte s nami do Betlema (Come with Us to Bethlehem) – 1952
Lidovy Betlem (People’s Creche) – 1953 and 1967
Moravske Jeslicky (Moravian Crib) – 1954
Later sets included:
Lidove Jeslicky – 1967 and 1968 (free-standing children figures)
Vanocni Betlem – 1968 Oftis (15 and 21 cm variants)
Prazsky Betlem – 1968 and 1969 Orbis; reissued as a panorama in 1991
Loretansky Betlem – 1972 Orbis
Cesky Betlem – printed 1991 by Grafiatisk, A.S.