Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/376

 302 F O N F O N proper material for fonts in the Western Church was hard stone, as marble, porphyry, or granite. Fonts of bronze and lead are, however, sometimes found, and the basins of many stone fonts were lined with lead to prevent the absorption of the water by the porous stone. A font shaped from one block of oak is in the church at Evenechtyd, Denbighshire. Continental fonts bear distinctly the im press of the time to which they belong. They appear very early, ornamented with bas-reliefs, columns, and arches, as well as with the characteristic details of the ornamentation of their period. Representations of St John the Baptist are very common. At Pont-a-Mousson on the Moselle, one bears bas-reliefs of that saint preaching in the wilderness, and of the baptism of Christ, executed with that simple sincerity which is more valuable than the highest re finement and finish in design and execution. In the llth and 12th centuries cup-shaped and cylindrical forms were most common, either as simple cylinders and truncated cones or supported by one or more pillars. Frequently the basin is hollowed out of one large square or oblong slab, supported at the centre by a broad column, with auxiliary columns at the corners, all bearing the mouldings and ornaments charac teristic of the period. Caryatids sometimes take the place of the pillars, and sculptured animals and other grotesques of curious design sometimes form the bases. Octagonal forms are not altogether absent from this period, and even hexagons have been occasionally found. Pentagons are very rare. The font, however, at Cabourg, on the north coast of France, is formed of a pentagonal block rather bare of ornamentation, and supported by a group of columns. In the 13th century octagonal forms became more prevalent, although the earlier kinds were not discontinued. The very remarkable font at Hiklesheim in Hanover belongs to the 13th century, and is in complete preserva tion. The basin rests upon the shoulders of four kneel ing figures, each bearing a vase from which water is run ning, emblematic of the four rivers of Paradise. Above is an inscription which explains the connexion of these rivers with the virtues temperance, courage, justice, and prudence. On the sides of the cup itself are bas-reliefs representing the Passage of the Jordan, the Passage of the Red Sea, the Baptism of Christ, and the Virgin and Child. These are separated by columns, by scrolls bearing inscrip tions, and by medallions with figurative heads of the ab stract virtues named above, and with heads of the prophets. The font has a conical lid, similarly ornamented, and bear ing also four bas-reliefs. A cast of this font is now in the South Kensington Museum. At Mayence the font, which belongs to about the year 1328, is of lead, and bears images of the Saviour, the Virgin, St Martin, and the Twelve Apostles. Cylindrical fonts become much more rare in the 14th century, the almost universal shape being the octagon. In the 15th and IGth centuries the most elaborate and remark able of Continental fonts were produced, and some are indeed works of the highest art in sculpture. This superiority is probably more due to increased delicacy and moderation of design, than to any great change in the shape or in the mode of attaching ornament. In early fonts, though the exterior is polygonal, the cup itself is generally circular; but it is characteristic of the 15th century fonts that the octagonal form is carried out even in the cup. The fonts at Strasburg, Freiburg, and Basel are examples of this. Few if any English fonts date from before the Conquest, but a great number of Norman fonts, perhaps more than of any other period before the Reforma tion, are still in existence, and form some of the most characteristic of the architectural remains of the time. In form circular or square, they are generally supported on one or more columns, and are ornamented with bas-reliefs, net-work of columns and arches, grotesques, rude foliage, niches with figures, and many other forms. Good ex amples of Norman fonts may be seen at Lincoln Cathedral ; Iffley, Oxon ; Newenden, Kent ; Coleshill, Warwickshire ; East Meon, Hants; and Castle Frome, Herefordshire. In the Late Norman and Early English periods, octagonal fonts became common, and with few exceptions this form continued in use until the Reformation. Early English fonts are comparatively rare. They bear the moulding, foliage, and too^h ornament in the usual style of the period. A good example of an Early English font is at All Saints, Leicester ; others may be seen at St Giles, Oxford, and at Lackford, Suffolk. Fonts of the Decorated period are also less common than those of the precedent Norman or subsequent Perpendicular periods, but are superior in de tail and execution to those of any other stage of our art. Fonts of the Perpendicular period are very common, and are generally raised upon steps, which, together with the body of the font, are frequently richly ornamented with panneling. It was also the custom during this period to ornament the font with shields and coats of arms, and other heraldic insignia, as at Herne, Kent. Leaden fonts of Norman date are found at Dorchester, Oxon, at Avebury, Wilts, and other places. In Holyrood Chapel there was a brazen font in which the royal children of Scotland were baptized. It was carried off in 1544 by Sir R. Lea, and given by him to the church at St Alban s, and was afterwards destroyed by the Puritans. A silver font was at Canterbury, which was sometimes brought to Westminster on the occasion of a royal baptism. At Chobham, Surrey, there is a leaden font covered with oaken panels of the 16th century. In 1236 it was ordered by Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, that baptismal fonts should be kept under lock and key, as a precaution against sorcery : &quot; Fontes baptis- males sub sera clausi teneantur propter sortilegia.&quot; The lids appear at first to have been quite simple and flat. They gradually, however, partook of the ornamentation of the font itself, and are often of pyramidal and conical forms, highly decorated with finials, crockets, mouldings, and grotesques. Some very rich font covers may be seen at Ewelme, Oxon ; St Gregory, Sudbury; North Walsingham, Norfolk; Worlingworth, Suffolk. The ordinary position of the font in the church was near the entrance, usually to the left of the south door. See Caumont, Cours d antiquites monumentales, Paris, 1830; Simpson, Scries of Anticnt Baptismal Fonts; Paley, Ancient Fonts Viollct-le-Duc, Did. dc T Architecture, vol. v. ; Parker s Glossary vj Architecture. (W. HE.) FONTAINE, JEAN DE LA. See LA FONTAINE. FONTAINE, PIERRE FRANQOIS LEONARD (1762-1853), French architect, was born at Poutoise, September 20, 1762. He was of a family several of whose members had distinguished themselves as architects, and he early showed the taste and the ability which promised to revive in his person the family distinction. Leaving the college of Pontoise at the age of sixteen he was sent to Lisle-Adam, to assist in hydraulic works undertaken by the architect Andre&quot;. To facilitate his improvement Andre&quot; allowed him to have access to his plans and to copy his designs. At this time he formed a friendship with another young student of his art, Thibaut, whose passion quickened his own. In October 1779 he was sent to Paris to study in the school of Peyre the younger, and there began his acquaintance with Percier, which ripened into a life-long friendship. After six years of study he competed for a prize at the Academy, and, winning the second, received a pension and was sent to Rome (1785). Percier accompanied him. The Revolution breaking out soon after his return to France, he took refuge in England ; but after tli3 establishment of the consulate,