Cheshire

The source for this font is a photograph of a water-colour done in 1809 by Samuel Prout. The photograph shows an tub-shaped unmounted font; most of the basin sides are covered by an arcade of round arches containing full figures standing and facing out; the three figures visible in the painting hold different objects, one of which, a book; there are probably 12 figures, who could be the Apostles; above this arcade, another small one resting on the arcade below, its spaces filled with human heads; towards the lower part of the basin, below the main arcade, there is a band ornamented with a rather flat zig-zag (chevron?); the base narrows in below the band ornament. This font appears to be very similar to the Norman ones found in Alphington (Devon), Avington (Berks.) and Oxhill and Stoneleigh (Warwks.) [description based on a photograph kindly supplied to BAPTISTERIA SACRA by the owner of the painting, Jeffrey Ruda, art historian at the University of California at Davies, in 1999]