Clonard's baptismal font
The baptismal font made in the 15th or 16th century by Clonard in County Meath is unique in Ireland in its elaborate design. The font is in the Catholic parish church in Clonard, which is dedicated to St. Finnian . Many of the scenes and figures shown refer to the extensive monastic history of Clonard.
construction
The baptismal font consists of two separate hewn stones that rest together on a simple square base. Dense, gray limestone was used . The upper stone contains the cup-shaped baptismal bowl with a diameter of 70 cm at the upper edge, which narrows to 56 cm at the bottom and a depth of 28 cm. The two hewn stones each have an octagonal shape, with the lower stone approaching a square shape towards the base. The upper stone is divided into two rows of carved panels. Another row is added to the lower stone, so that there are a total of 24 carved panels. Starting with the depiction of Mary fleeing into Egypt, the panels are numbered from 1 to 8 in each row counterclockwise.
The motifs and their possible interpretations
Top row motifs
The first panel shows Mary in a long dress together with the baby Jesus, wrapped in ribbons, on a horse that is led by a rein held by Joseph on the left on the second panel that follows , who wears a robe with a hood. The second panel also shows the depiction of an angelic nun together with two interwoven circles. The nun could be a representation of Agnes. Agnes was the founding abbess of the Augustinian nuns' abbey in Clonard, consecrated to St. Mary. Simple interwoven symbols like this one became increasingly popular with sculptors in the 15th century and were often used in otherwise free spaces. In doing so, the sculptors consciously tied back to corresponding very early traditions.
The third panel shows John the Baptist at the baptism of Jesus. Here Jesus stands with his feet in the waters of the Jordan , while John, standing on the bank on the right side, holds his right hand over the head of Jesus. Since this tablet has been damaged, it is not very clear what John is holding in his hand. On the one hand it could be interpreted as a vessel with which water is poured over Jesus, on the other hand it could also represent a dove. This scene refers to the second Augustinian monastery founded by Hugh de Lacy between 1183 and 1186 in Clonard, which was dedicated to John the Baptist. Even after the two canons' monasteries were merged in the 13th century, Johannes remained one of the two patrons. There is also a tall tree in a pot on the right of the third panel, which could possibly represent the tree of life .
The fourth and fifth panels each show two angels with shields. Since the shields each have the shape of a coat of arms, they are probably portraits of noble patrons or monks of the monasteries at Clonard. The sixth panel also shows two angels with long skirts and peeping petticoats. These could be nuns.
An angel is depicted on the left of the seventh panel. In contrast to the other angels, he does not hold a shield, but a longer scroll. The robe again seems to consist of a skirt and petticoat like the two angels on the sixth table, so that it could also be a nun. On the right side of this panel is a portrait of St. Peter, who can be recognized by his key. Peter is included here as the patron saint of the monastery founded by St. Finnian in the 6th century. The subsequent first Augustinian Canons' monastery was also dedicated to Peter. Later, after the union with the second monastery, John the Baptist was added as the second patron.
The eighth and last panel in the top row shows a bishop with a miter , chasuble and a crook on the left . His right hand is raised in blessing. Because of the local reference, it can be safely assumed that this is a representation of St. Finnian, who founded Clonard around 520. To the right of it is an angel with an open book.
The motifs of the middle and bottom row
Since the upper part of the baptismal font tapers towards the bottom, the panels in the middle row each have the shape of a trapezoid. On the first three panels, winged angels can be seen holding a shield. Only the upper part of the figure is shown. In contrast to this, the angel on the fourth panel can be seen with a complete robe that ruffles below. The other four panels show foliage motifs, including vines on the fifth and sixth panels and oak branches on the seventh and eighth panels.
As with the middle row, the lower panels also have the shape of trapezoids, in which case they widen towards the bottom. All panels are decorated with conventional foliage motifs. In several of these motifs, a branch extends diagonally from one of the two lower corners to the center of the picture, where it then divides into three smaller branches, each of which has a leaf at its end towards the corners that are still free.
Origin and provenance
The execution and the choice of motifs are embedded in the 15th or 16th century, which was still Gothic in art in Ireland . In general, Irish Gothic is less intellectual and more popular and integrated into society. The artistic quality of the sculptural work on this font does not reach the level of the leading workshops of this period such as that of O'Tunney. It can be seen that there were some advances in craftsmanship in the course of the work on this font. For example, the view is that the scene with the baptism of Jesus belongs to the earlier works because it has not yet been worked out so finely.
In 1551 the monastery was given to Sir Thomas Cusack as a fiefdom , who bequeathed it to his son John. Since John was a stonemason , it can be assumed that John Cusack was the artist who created this font. This is supported by the excellent knowledge of local history and a craftsmanship that makes this baptismal font the work of a gifted amateur.
Austin Cooper visited Clonard in 1794. Thanks to the notes and sketches he left, it is known that some ruins of the monastery still stood at that time, part of which, in a makeshift form, was used as a Protestant church. Cooper found the font in this church and signed it. Then the ruins of the monastery were torn down and a new Protestant church was built on the site in 1808. The earliest known evidence of a move of the baptismal font to the new church can be found in a brief note from James Norris Brewer in 1826 and 1849 in much more detail, including a new drawing of the baptismal font in William Wilde's book about the Boyne from the Year 1849. Since the baptismal font was thought to be older at that time, it was considered one of the most important remnants of the rich history of Clonard's monastery after the ruins were torn down:
- These venerable ruins have disappeared, and all that now remains of Clonard are a square stone trough, a head which figures over the door of the present church tower, and a baptismal font.
- ("These venerable ruins are gone, and all that remains of Clonard is a square stone trough, a head over the door of the current church tower, and a baptismal font.")
- Anthony Cogan, 1862
The font remained in the Protestant church until it was closed in 1991. Then the baptismal font was moved to the Catholic Church in Clonard, also consecrated to St. Finnian, on October 1, 1991 and installed behind the altar in the apse . On this occasion, on January 19, 1992, a thanksgiving service was held jointly by the Protestant Rector Frederick Gillmor and the Catholic parish priest Eamonn Marron. The font at the new location was later added to the Meath County Council's Clonard Heritage Trail .
literature
- The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland 1844-45 . Volume I, AC , Dublin 1846. (On page 425 there is a section on the font in the article on Clonard.)
- William Robert W. Wilde: The beauties of the Boyne, and its tributary, the Blackwater . Dublin 1849. (The font is described on pages 64 and 65.)
- Dorothy C. Harris: The Baptismal Font of Clonard, Co. Westmeath . From: The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland , Volume 70, Year 1940, pages 89-91.
- Elizabeth Hickey: Clonard: The Story of an Early Irish Monastery 520-1202 . (The analysis of the baptismal font can be found on page 54.)
Web links
- Clonard Heritage Trail , description of Clonard's attractions on the Meath County Council website
Remarks
- ^ See Elizabeth Hickey, p. 89: […] is one of the finest of the decorated fonts which I have seen in Ireland. Or see page 64 in William Wilde: It is one of the finest, and perhaps, of its kind, one of the oldest in Ireland, and, being of very hard, compact, gray limestone, or marble, it is still in most wonderful preservation.
- ↑ See Harris, 89.
- ↑ This numbering was taken from the article by Harris.
- ↑ This is Hickey's interpretation. See also page 314 in Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock: Medieval Religious Houses Ireland . Longman, London 1970, ISBN 0-582-11229-X .
- ↑ See pages 145 ff. In Colum Hourihane: Gothic Art in Ireland 1169–1550 . Yale University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-300-09435-3 .
- ↑ This is how it is seen in the Gazetteer.
- ↑ This is the thesis of Harris, who had a drawing made for this purpose, which supports this interpretation.
- ↑ This is Harris' guess.
- ↑ This is what both Harris and Hickey assume.
- ↑ This is what Hickey assumes.
- ↑ Harris assumes a scroll. The gazetteer also suggested that it might be a belt. The latter interpretation could point in the direction of St. Augustine , since the hermits of the Augustinians wear leather belts. Otherwise, this interpretation was not adopted.
- ↑ This is how Hickey sees it.
- ↑ See page 9 in Colum Hourihane: Gothic Art in Ireland 1169–1550 . Yale University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-300-09435-3 .
- ↑ The amateurish manner of execution is emphasized by Hickey. O'Tunney, as the leading workshop of this time, Peter Harbison et al. mentioned on page 108: Irish Art and Architecture . Thames and Hudson, 1978, ISBN 0-500-27707-9 .
- ↑ See page 90 in the Harris essay.
- ↑ This thesis is supported by Hickey.
- ↑ See pages 48 and 49 in Hickey's book.
- ↑ See page 182 in James Norris Brewer: The Beauties of Ireland . London 1826. limited preview in Google Book search
- ↑ This reference was taken from the article by Harris. She refers here to pages 64–65 from the work of William Wilde.
- ↑ Page 175 from Anthony Cogan: The diocese of Meath, ancient and modern . London 1862. limited preview in Google Book search
- ↑ This information was taken from an information board in the Catholic parish church in Clonard.
- ↑ See the corresponding web link.
- ^ A. Fullarton and Company: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland. A. Fullarton and Company, 1846 limited preview in Google Book search
- ^ The beauties of the Boyne, and its tributary, the Blackwater. limited preview in Google Book search