Saint-Clement nr. Aubenton / Saint-Clément

Limestone baptismal font consisting of a round basin raised on a pedestal base and lower base, also round; the basin has four human heads protruding at 90-degree angles; two (?) of the heads appear to be bearded; the sides are decorated with acanthus vines, and Palissy [cf. infra] reports a dog on one side; tha stone of the basin has the characteristic dark shine that Tournai limestone acquires , whereas the pedestal base and lower base do not. The font cover, round, flat and plain is modern. Listed in Palissy [ref.: PM02001026]: "Cuve circulaire portée par un fût monocylindrique [...] 11e siècle". A later Palissy entry [ref.: IM02001465] notes: " fonts baptismaux [calcaire] [...] représentation humaine (tête, de face, barbe : symbole) ; ornement à forme animale (chien : symbole) ; ornement à forme végétale (feuillage, palmette, rinceau) [...] limite 12e siècle 13e siècle".