Chaumesnil

Described in Collins (1981: 107) as a Romanesque baptismal font consisting of an octagonal basin decorated with four protruding heads crudely carved at 90-degree angles on the sides; one is mutilated and only the lower part of the face remains, while the three others are wearing a cylindrical toque or hat; the smallest of the heads has actually a bust and very small arms; Collins (ibid.) suggests that they may have been intended to represent the four ages of man ["Peut-être s'agirait-il des quatre âges de l'homme?"]; the base is described as hexagonal and decorated with four hooded heads with grimacing faces, which show considerable erosion of the stone. This font is listed in Drake (2002: 176) in the "chess-piece" group of Mosan fonts. Collins (1981: 107) lists it in the Aube département. Chaumesnil is about 25 km E of Troyes, in the Haute-Marne département, just over the border from Aube]