The Fishwife - the Fourteenth (14th) Essential Santon for a Provençal Creche

Posted on December 18, 2013 | 0 Comments

The Fishwife - Poissonnière (French) - Le Peissouniero (Provençaux) is number 14 on the list of the top 20 Essential Santons for a Provençal Creche. She is available in all four of the Marcel Carbonel Santons sizes offered by My Growing Traditions. Colorfully dressed, she has a portable scale (copper steelyard) fastened to her belt and with a proud humility commonly brings a bountiful gift of not one, but two, basketfuls of fish to the manger.

As a fishwife, or fishlass, she is a woman who sells or works with fish. She is not necessarily a married woman, as the word "wife" here simply means woman. She is the female version of a fishmonger. Of course, she may indeed be the fishmonger's wife. She may be rough around the edges, but she is a hearty soul - one who has existed in Provencal life "forever" and thus, equally important to the Santons creche. She is celebrated in this 1995 French postage stamp.