The Renaissance Baptismal Font of the Duomo of Viterbo

Baptismal fonts don't get the attention they deserve. In the parlance of Christendom, it is through this Sacrament that one enters into the Christian fold and for that reason, baptismal fonts are traditionally placed in a prominent location. In the case of many larger churches of the old Christian world, that could mean a dedicated, independent baptistery, typically placed in some prominent location near the entrance of a church (usually a cathedral in this instance). When not in its own independent structure, the baptismal font might be located in a separate side chapel-like space located near the entrance of a church or, in other instances, it is simply located in or near the narthex of the church, sometimes off to the side and sometimes within the central nave. 

What its specific 'geography' is, is typically dependent on factors like when a given church was built and how large (or how small) it was. What unites them, however, is that there was typically a purposefully symbolic placement of the baptismal font somewhere near the entrance of the church, symbolizing the Sacrament of Baptism as that sacrament by which one becomes a Christian and enters the Church mystically speaking, just as you have to pass through it to enter into the church building physically speaking. A beautiful example of the teaching value of symbolism in action.  

There have been different forms of baptismal fonts over the millennia reflecting the two different methods by which baptism itself might take place: by immersion (full submersion of the neophyte into the water) or by affusion (pouring of water onto the head of the neophyte).  Within the Christian East, immersion is still the norm, while in the Latin West, affusion is by far the more common practice. As such, within the Latin West, we tend to find baptismal fonts that are structurally oriented toward this practice.

That is certainly the case with the beautiful Renaissance era baptismal font of Francesco da Ancona, which he crafted from Carrara marble in 1470 for the Duomo of Viterbo. We recently took a tour of this beautiful Romanesque era basilica, but it seemed to me the font deserved a bit of attention and focus in its own right, particularly for reason of its gorgeous carvings.

The main portion of the font is of course the bowl itself which holds the baptismal waters. It is a beautifully carved piece with the sort of classical appearance one would expect from the Renaissance, showcasing scallop shells (a symbol associated with the pouring of the waters of baptism as well as the Christian pilgrimage toward heaven), cornucopias (a symbol of fruitfulness and God's blessings) and other ornamental, vegetal designs.  

Located in the centre of the font is a square column, topped by the kind of lantern one typically sees on church domes.  This column has beautifully, deeply carved sculptural reliefs, the primary depiction showing a depiction of the act of baptism itself, with a St. John the Baptist like figure shown pouring water over the head of a young, saintly neophyte, and the Holy Spirit coming down upon the same.  

The scallop shell once again makes its appearance, functioning both as a symbol in its own right.

Neoclassical columns and symbols decorate the columns, and dolphins can be found at the base of this column. (Dolphins were a feature commonly found in classical Roman art, and perhaps their use here was not only because they are a create of the water -- an obvious enough link to the sacrament of baptism -- but also because they were thought to guide sailors to safety.)

A look at some of the other sides of this column show us the figure of a saintly priest wearing his priestly vestments, and a saintly deacon wearing the same. (Vestment aficionados may like to take particular note of the shape and decoration of these vestments for their own interest.)  

It is not entirely clear to me whether these were meant to depict specific saints, or perhaps simply make reference to the ministers of baptism.  The priestly figure is shown as a bearded, almost St. Peter like figure, wearing a Renaissance era chasuble and maniple, holding a small book. 

The deacon is shown wearing his diaconal vestments, pointing to a small Chrismatic like vessel. 

Unfortunately, information on this particular font is fairly scant, but regardless, it is a beautiful example of one from the Renaissance era, penetrated with the sort of symbolism we'd expect from this particular period of Christian history. 

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