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Baptismal font
Room21



Ceramics

Anonymous

Baptismal font

Teruel
18th century
Pottery
48 x Ø42 cm
Provenance unknown
MEV 5433

This is an example of a baptismal font of the kind used in churches to place inside the stone fonts. Generally, this is why the outside is undecorated, as it was not meant to be seen. On the inside there is just a cross and an anagram of Jesus Christ, to signify the admission of the neophytes to the Christian community. It is the lid that shows us the true decoration. Several figures of saints: Saint Peter, Saint John the Evangelist with the eagle (his symbol), Saint John the Baptist with the Lamb of God at his feet, Saint Andrew with his cross and Saint Luke also with his symbol. It also contains different floral motifs, which fill spaces. On the double knob there are angels and a decorative border. The unique decoration and a spontaneous but not very experienced hand reveal to us that it must have been made to order and not mass-produced; more in keeping with the Aragonese production of holy water stoups rather than the wares of Talavera, much more elaborate.


Room21
Floor2
18 Leather
19 Gold, Silver and Metalworking Arts
20 Forge Work
21 Ceramics
22 Study Galleries