Glencairn Museum No. 2

Identified in the Glencairn Museum collection with no. 09.SP.238 as a "Sculpture, limestone -- French -- Font with ten male figures with attributes -- XI century, late -- Provenance: unknown -- Description: Large, shallow font (lavabo or perhaps for holy water). Drainage hole on one side, three outer surfaces decorated with ten figures holding objects. Fourth side [back] left uncarved (placement against wall, not engaged). Figures have large heads and wear ankle-length tunics. Carving crude, drapery indicated with series of parallel ridges, either horizontal or vertical, faces mask-like. -- Condition: Heads of figures damaged, especially on corner figures. Surface damage to lower edges (feet of figures) and in parts of their bodies." Described and illustrated in Cahn (1979-1999, vol. II: 89), who describes the material as marble, dates it to the 11th-12th century and suggests a northern Italian provenance perhaps, "a capital that has been transformed into a holy water basin. Its authenticity is uncertain." Cahn (ibid.) notes the "parallel, tubular folds that evoke Longobardic sculpture of an earlier age" and refers to G. de Francovich's "La corrente comasca nella scultura romanica europea" for the revival of this ealy medieval sculptural tradition [cf. AuthorNotes below]. Cahn (ibid.) add an interesting observation, that the rest of the figures "appear to flank two persons who form a couple at the center", which if accurate, could indicate the representation of a marriage or celebratory scene. [NB: the presence of a drain hole suggests that the object may have been intended as font or lavabo rather than holy-water stoup, although some stoups, though few in number, are found to have drain holes]. [We are grateful to The Glencairn Museum, Academy of the New Church, Brynn Athyn, Pennsylvania, and to Nathan Cole, for the information on, and images of this object]