Font - Meusnes France

A large, plain polygonal limestone font comprising a deep, thick-walled basin carved from a single block and set on a roughly built cylindrical stem of coursed rubble masonry, rising from a simple square plinth. The basin’s heavy proportions, undecorated exterior, and slightly irregular polygonal plan are characteristic of late Romanesque rural production in the Berry–Touraine region. The utilitarian form—emphasising capacity and solidity over ornament—corresponds to 12th–13th-century baptismal practice, when substantial volumes of water were still required for affusion or partial immersion.
The base, constructed rather than carved, is typical of local workshops of the period and contrasts with later medieval fonts, which usually adopt turned shafts or fully carved octagonal stems. The stone retains toolmarks and surface wear consistent with long liturgical use and early medieval workmanship.
The small metal pyramidal lid topped with a cross is modern, likely 20th-century, and purely functional. Medieval Romanesque fonts in this region almost never had fitted covers; elaborate wooden font covers do not belong to French rural practice of this period.
