Huy No. 2 / Hoei / Hu / Sait-Pierre-en-Outremont

Noted and illustrated in De Bruyn (1869-1870), who stresses the similarities of this font with that of Ciney: "On ne peut s'empêcher de constater une analogie frappante entre les fonts que nous venons de décrire et ceux de Huy, dont nous donnons ici la gravure. A propos de ces derniers, nous ferons surtout remarquer la persistance de têtes bestiales, de monstres, de mascarons, de griffons et même de sirènes, couronnées ou ceintes d'une bandelette, employées comme motif d'ornementation dans la plupart des cuves baptismales. On ne saurait raisonnablement attribuer ce caractère d'universalité au caprice de l'ordonnateur, ni à la fantaisie de l'artiste et nous y découvrons une allusion au monstre infernal, qui, par l'administration du sacrement de baptême, se voit enlevé l'empire qu'il exerce sur les âmes." Described and illustrated in Van de Casteele (1877), who calls the restoration of 1856 by "le curé Knaden" deplorable, "restauration grotesque et barbare, accentuée encore par le vandalisme d'un ciseau brutal". Described and illustrated in Drake (2002: 176... and pl. 92): baptismal font of the Romanesque period, a "sophisticated example" of the Mosan School decorated with "a most ellaborate dragon occupying one face, its tail divided in two, each with a small head at the end" [an amphisbena?]. The other sides are also decorated with animals, and the angles with a large leaf on each. The square basin has slightly tapering sides, rather than vertical; the base consists of a plain broad central shaft of concave design, and four slender colonnettes with capitals and bases; the whole is raised on a short square plinth. A low metal lid covers the font. [NB: Drake (ibid., p. 42 fn31and 43 fn34) informs that this font, originally from Reppe, has been in this church since 1856, and that the original font from this church is now at the Louvre]. The present font was restored and partially re-carved in 1856, and it appears that the outer colonnettes of the base, and the whole of the lower base dates from that re-construction. The four side of the basin have, besides the one with the amphisbena noted above, a side with a blind arcade of trefoiled arches resting on columns with capitals and bases; a side with a lion with a human head, crowned and pulling its tongue, while vegetation stems out of the side of its mouth; passant(to the left)-gardant; the fourth side has a row of lovely palmette vegetation, with a curious design in which the upper spaces between the palmettes are treated as if the were the spandrels of an arcade, and filled with other foliage motifs, at least two different types (one appears to be a lanceolated leaf, the other a motif with three petals or leaves. The broad central shaft that supports the basin appears ancient and is round but has convex sides; is it original? The KIK-IRPA entry notes a dome brass cover of the late 19th century that appears in earlier photographs of the font, but adds: "Couvercle retiré depuis (avant 2010)".