Toledo No. 2 / Toletum

***THIS MAY BE THE SAME FONT REPORTED FOR A TIME AT THE TALLER DEL MORO*** A 1869 engraving by Pizarro shows and engraving of this basin, but some of the details are erroneous, especially the shape of the underbowl, which is portrayed as hemispherical and plain in the engraving, while it is in fact conical, with a flat circular end, and has a painted inscription on it [cf. infra] [reference to this source from Pedro de Riaza [http://foro.toletho.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1168] [accessed 1 January 2012]. The font is reported still in the church in 1915 in a photograph by Garces [source reference: Riaza (ibid.) Ramírez de Arellano (1921) informs that a fire damaged the Iglesia de San Antolín, also in Toledo capital, in 1823; a "visitador" complained in 1829 about the inappropriate baptismal font made of wretched mud [="de barro indecente"] and asked to have a good one made of stone with a proper lock and key [="que se construya una pila bautismal de piedra y decente con su tapa y llave"]. Ramírez de Arellano (ibid.) reports that it is not known how the "lowly" ceramic font -later to be admired as one of the most important Toledan works in ceramic- survived. The church of San Antolin had some of its objects moved to other local churches, and the font may have ended up in the church of San Salvador. [to be confirmed]. Frothingham (1977) notes that a fire in the church 1829 destroyed the appearance of the font and then had a new font made from stone with a cover [NB: the aforementioned text by Ramírez de Arellano sets right the facts about the fire]. The font is catalogued in 'Ibn Jaldun...' (2006), as part of an exhibition; described as octagonal with a conical underbowl; there is painted inscription on it, Gothic black lettering, now very worn; the upper rim moulding has another inscription, this one incised or carved, with the 'Ave Maria', now quite damaged but still legible; the sides of the basin share a common decorative arrangement: a shield containing a trefoiled cross at the centre; to the sides several pairs of grape vines with grape bunches, or acanthus or palm leaves; the actual rendering, however, is quite irregular. It is dated to the 15th century. A text by Ignacio Olagüe in the webislam page [www.webislam.com] mentions a baptismal font at the church of San Salvador of Toledo, with four scenes of the New Testament. [this may be the new font made after the 1829 complaint - to be resolved]. There is some historic information on the fonts and its wanderings in Pedro Liñán de Riaza [http://foro.toletho.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1168] [accessed 1 January 2012], who also gives some bibliographic information on the font. An octagonal ceramic font said to be originally from the parish church of San Salvador was on display at the Taller del Moro museum on 8 July 2010; the sides of this object are covered with an assortment of motifs and symbols, dark on a light background; there are circled crosses, circled stars and what appears to be motifs of a vegetal nature on it; the underbowl appears almost conical in shape; there is no base proper, and it is displayed on a modern metal support.