ADVENT CALENDAR 2024

December 23

HANDCARVED NATIVITY PYRAMID

Max Boehm
Saxony, Germany; Delran Township, New Jersey
Wood, paint, electric motor
1917–1947

Max Boehm began crafting this intricate Christmas pyramid (Weihnachtspyramide) in 1917. He created the hundreds of wooden pieces that form the eight-foot-tall, multi-tiered structure with a rotating central spindle. Working with a jigsaw, Boehm worked on the project during Saxony’s long winter evenings. As his son Walter recalled, “They had a lot of snow over there in the winter months. There wasn’t much to do, so they started working on their woodwork.” In 1924, Boehm immigrated to the United States, bringing along two wooden boxes filled with the pyramid’s many components.

After settling in New Jersey, Boehm continued to improve the pyramid. The movement, originally powered by a clockwork mechanism, was eventually upgraded with an electric motor, and the candles were replaced with electric lights. The five tiers hold 46 hand-carved figures, made by a tailor in Germany, portraying scenes from the story of Jesus Christ’s birth.

On loan from the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University

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