Zillebeeke / Zillebeke / Zillebecke

Square mounted font of the Tournai group; the basin has masks/heads at the four corners; the sides are ornamented with two rows of palmettes and grape bunches around the four faces of the square bowl; the underbowl is curved and ribbed; though the basin is the typical blue-ish marble of these fonts, the base appears to be a course reddish limestone. Described and illustrated in Putte (1847), which he compares to those at Saint-Venant, Termonde and Zedelghem [cf. corresponding BSI entries]; Putte (ibid.) reports the font placed at angle so that two of thw sides are permanently hidden, and dates the font to the same period as the other three, to "this side of the 11th century". Enlart (1902) lists as a 11th-12th century Tournai font and gives the location as Nord dept. in France. Described and illustrated in Ronse (1929: 16, 24 and fig. 32) who reports the damage caused to the font during the First World War; the photograph in Ronse, who dates the font as 13th century, shows a flat wooden cover on it. Described and illustrated in Barral i Altet (1989: 388 and pl. 125), where the font appears wearing a low-dome metal cover with a faciful Noah's ark-like finial. In Drake (2002: 177 etc.) [We are grateful to C.S. Drake for his photograph of this font]