Beaumont-de-Lomagne

A number of French metal fonts are mentioned in Germain Bapst's Les métaux dans l'antiquité et au moyen age : l'étain (Paris, 1884: 137): "Les fonts baptismaux furent quelquefois en plomb. Le musée de Cluny en conserve du treizième siècle où existent de petits décors peu intéressants : la forme n'est pas gracieuse. Nous avons trouvé trace de cuves analogues dans deux églises du Midi, à Bouret [i.e., Bourret] et à Verdun-sur-Garonne, et puis successivement à Beaumont-de-Lomagne, à Lombez, à Aulin, toujours dans la même région." The baptismal font here is noted in the Livre juratoire de Beaumont-de-Lomagne (Montauban, 1888: xxiv). Listed by Enlart (1902) among a group of 16th century mortar-shaped fonts. Corblet (1881-1882) gives the date of the font as 1583. The entry by Mathieu Méras in the Dictionnaire des églises... (1966- ) describes the font as being made of lead and gives the date as 1585. Described and illustrated in the Inventaire général Région Midi-Pyrénées [http://patrimoines.midipyrenees.fr] [accessed 26 June 2016] (1993, 2015): "Cuve baptismale en brut de fonte ; 4 anses [...] ornementation (fleur de lys, masque, tête, armoiries) [...] inscription concernant le donateur ; date [...] Repeint en vert". The font consists of a roughly bucket-shaped basin of cast metal [lead?] provided with four handles at 90-degree angles; the levels of decoration on the sides: on the protruding upper rim are a series of tiny masks, fleurs-de-lis, coats or arms, etc., as well as an inscription running below with information [transcription not available] on the date and donor; on the sides proper are two bands framed with mouldings above and below, the bands divided into square with the help of vertical decorated columns; the squares themselves are filled with floral and foliage motifs; the metal basin is raised on a plain circular base of stone. No cover present.