Betsy Bisson is a wife of 52 years, mother of five, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of nine.

But the Woolwich resident is more than a matriarch.

She designed the Woolwich official town seal, and she is the largest U.S. seller of Marcel Carbonel Santons de France.

“These colorful, painted clay figures bring a French tradition to the U.S.,” Bisson said. “The Bible tells us how God made man form clay and today the Provencal santonnier makes his figures in the same material.”

The 1 to 3-inch figurines usually depict Nativity characters like Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the donkey and thus are popular as Christmas décor.

Santons are only crafted in Marseille, France, and some make their way to Betsy Bisson's Woolwich home – a home she has shared with her husband Richard for 52 years. There are 17 different Nativity scenes displayed in their home, some of which are 8 to 12-inch costumed figurines.

Bisson got her santon start when figurines in the Cricket Shop in Boothbay were sold to Edgecomb resident Eve Tenny. Tenny stored the collection in the Bisson Storage facility for a while before asking Bisson to sell the product on consignment.

“I worked on consignment for a couple of years before taking over ownership of the santons,” Bisson said. “I have been in the business for the past 17 years.”

Most of the sales are made through her website, www.santons.net. Her daughter Holly helps with the business.

All about santons

The artistry of santons, or “little saints” in French, goes back hundreds of years. The word even appears in Genesis.

Unlike mechanically poured ceramic figurines, santons are hand-molded. The soft native clay found in southern France is forced into two molds, which are then put together like two half shells of a nut. The santon is taken out of the mold after a few hours, trimmed, baked and later painted.

Santons are not the work of fully fledged artists, but of simple artisans, potters, masons, barbers or coopers by day who mold and decorate the santons after work.

A special fair has been held in Marseille since 1803 for the sale of the santons.

Although the santons started with the Holy family and the donkey, characters now include small pilgrim, peasants, artisans, all animals and local tradesmen. Some have names and their own stories.

Charlotte Boynton can be reached at 207-844-4532 or cboynton@wiscassetnewspaper.com.