London No. 25 / Lothbury

Allen (1839?) writes: "The original church [of before 1303] being greatly decayed by time, a new one was built in the year 1440 […] This edifice was destroyed by the general conflagration [of 1666?], and the present edifice erected in its stead, and completely finished in the year 1690 […] The font, situated beneath the western gallery, is, perhaps, one of the finest specimens of carving in basso rilievo , in this country. It is a spherical basin, ornamented with four cherub's heads, and the following subjects in four compartments, viz. Adam and Eve in the act of taking the forbidden fruit, and thus constituting the fall of man. The salvation of Noah and his family in the ark. The baptism of our Saviour. And St Philip baptizing the eunuch. 'The compartments have been chose with great knowledge and taste, every one of the subjects alluding to the sacred mystery connected with it' [quoted from the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 91, pt. 1, page 21]. The sculptures occupy the whole of the surface; the general form is that of an antique urn, which is made to revolve on a pivot; the gracefulness of its proportions and delicacy of the sculptures are not excelled by any work of antiquity. The sculptor was the celebrated Grinlin Gibbons, to whom the church of this metropolis are indebted for such a profusion of ornamental sculpture; the baluster on which it stands is unworthy to be the supporter of so beautiful a piece of workmanship." Described in Blatch (1995): "This small stone font has been attributed to Grinling Gibbons and shows fine craftmanship. Supported on a baluster stem, the round bowl is decorated with cherub's heads between which are cut reliefs of Adam and Eve in Paradise, the Return of the Dove to Noah in the Ark, the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan by John and of the Eunuch by Philip. The wooden cover depicts the dove of peace within a cherub-headed crown." The City of London Churches web site mentions "a font cover with dove and bough from St Olave Jewry" [www.cityoflondonchurches.com] [NB: St Olave's Church has a baptismal font made of Canadian wood donated after Wolrd War II; St. Olave sent another font (?) to the church of the same name in Toronto -- source: Blatch (1995)]. According to James (1985) it is the font that "comes from St. Olave's Jewry."