Antique French Onyx Cross with Champlevé Enamel and Hinged Holy Water Font (Bénitier), c. 1880–1900

Antique French Onyx Cross with Champlevé Enamel and Hinged Holy Water Font (Bénitier), c. 1880–1900

A French bénitier, the small holy water font that hung by the door or the bedside in a 19th-century home, and an unusually fine one. The backplate is a cross cut from pale green onyx, veined with soft caramel and rust, and mounted at its centre with a gilt bronze cross worked in champlevé enamel: oxblood red, turquoise, blue and white in a lobed, almost Byzantine design that echoes the shape of the stone beneath it.

Below sits the font itself, a small faceted gilt bronze bowl with matching champlevé enamel panels and a hinged lid that closes over a white porcelain liner, a thoughtful detail that kept the water clean. The reverse is fitted with a brass plate and a hanging ring, so it is ready to go straight onto the wall.

Devotional objects like this were made in France in the last quarter of the 19th century, often as communion or wedding gifts. Whether it is used for its original purpose or simply hung as a beautiful object, the combination of green stone, gilt bronze and jewel-coloured enamel is hard to resist.

Details

Origin: France
Period: Late 19th century
Date: Circa 1880–1900
Material: Green onyx, gilt bronze with polychrome champlevé enamel, porcelain liner, brass backplate
Form: Wall-hanging holy water font with hinged lid. 
Approximate Measurements
Height: 7.25” 
Width: 4.25” at the widest 
Condition

Very good antique condition. Onyx minor fleabite. Enamel in good condition. Hinged lid opens and closes properly. Porcelain liner [present and intact]. Hanging ring secure.

A beautiful and complete French bénitier, as decorative as it is meaningful.