Antique Holy Water Font, Rare Example, French, Sacred Heart of Jesus Centre on Carved Ebony, Napoleon III Circa 1860
This is a very special Holy Water Font that dates back to the middle of the 18th century and is in amazingly good condition.
In the centre is a stunningly beautiful carving of Christ and The Sacred Heart which has been beautifully painted and highlighted in gold. This carving in plaster is in prsitine condition as it has spent its life encased in the typical Napoleon III era oval metal frame with its intact glass dome. My apologies but it is very difficult to photograph under glass. I have tried but the depiction of Christ is soooooo much better that it looks in the photos.
This has been set into a superbly carved ebony frame and below is a gilded cast bronze font in the shape of a shell.
For well over a thousand years kings and commoners alike have walked the pilgrim way to Santiago de Compostela to the shrine of Saint James and for all that time they have been guided along the way by scallop shells set into the ground or on trees at the mile markers so that they would not lose their way.
The Scallop Shell, along with the yellow arrow, is used to guide pilgrims along the many different routes heading to Santiago. But besides this, why is the Shell so important to pilgrims? It is said that this symbol is a metaphor, in that its lines represent the different routes traveled by pilgrims from around the World, which all lead to one point, the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela. The Scallop Shell can be found on the milestone markers, guiding pilgrims in the right direction. Just like in the medieval era, many pilgrims wear the Scallop Shell around their necks or attached to their back to make it easier to be identified as a pilgrim and provide reassurance that they are still on the right path.
As this wonderful Holy Water Font has the scallop shell as the font it is likely that it was bought by a pilgrim on their journey to or from Sanitago de Compostela as a souvenir of their pilgrimage.
In total it measures 30 centimetres by 16 centimetres.
This is a very special Holy Water Font that dates back to the middle of the 18th century and is in amazingly good condition.
In the centre is a stunningly beautiful carving of Christ and The Sacred Heart which has been beautifully painted and highlighted in gold. This carving in plaster is in prsitine condition as it has spent its life encased in the typical Napoleon III era oval metal frame with its intact glass dome. My apologies but it is very difficult to photograph under glass. I have tried but the depiction of Christ is soooooo much better that it looks in the photos.
This has been set into a superbly carved ebony frame and below is a gilded cast bronze font in the shape of a shell.
For well over a thousand years kings and commoners alike have walked the pilgrim way to Santiago de Compostela to the shrine of Saint James and for all that time they have been guided along the way by scallop shells set into the ground or on trees at the mile markers so that they would not lose their way.
The Scallop Shell, along with the yellow arrow, is used to guide pilgrims along the many different routes heading to Santiago. But besides this, why is the Shell so important to pilgrims? It is said that this symbol is a metaphor, in that its lines represent the different routes traveled by pilgrims from around the World, which all lead to one point, the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela. The Scallop Shell can be found on the milestone markers, guiding pilgrims in the right direction. Just like in the medieval era, many pilgrims wear the Scallop Shell around their necks or attached to their back to make it easier to be identified as a pilgrim and provide reassurance that they are still on the right path.
As this wonderful Holy Water Font has the scallop shell as the font it is likely that it was bought by a pilgrim on their journey to or from Sanitago de Compostela as a souvenir of their pilgrimage.
In total it measures 30 centimetres by 16 centimetres.
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