Prouvais

Noted and illustrated in Fleury (1878-1882). Included by Cloquet (1895) among the round pedestal fonts of the Mosan type with four human heads, at 90-degree angles, on the basin. Enlart (1902) lists it in one entry as one of several 11th-12th century Tournai-like square fonts mounted on a column base and farther down makes another entry in which the Prouvais font is listed among round hemispheric basins. Corblet (1881-1882) gives a date for it, the 11th century, and has a full drawing of it: there are no heads visible at all, and the font is round, chalice-shaped, not square; there are two birds, back to back and one fish (it looks rather like a cetaceous mammal!); below the animals, in the underbowl, there are irregularly carved ribs; the shaft of the base is round and plain; the lower base fans out to a square lower volume and has large leaf motif at the angles. Listed in Palissy [ref.: PM02000975]: "fonts baptismaux [...] pierre : taillé [...] 12e siècle [...] Détruits pendant la guerre de 1914-1918." Le Long's history of the Diocese of Laon (1783) notes a refusal in the early 13th century to hand in additional contributions to the representatives of the bishop by the priests of Guignicourt, Prouvais and Neufchâtel; the dispute was later submitted to Pope Honorius in Rome.