Important Silver Wall-mounted Holy Water Font – Bruges, Baroque Period, 1733-1734

Important Silver Wall-Mounted Holy Water Font – Bruges, Baroque Period, 1733-1734.

Rare solid silver wall-mounted holy water font from the Baroque period, made in Bruges in the early 18th century, precisely dated by the guild marks to 1733-1734.

Description:

The font consists of a large silver cross with a fluted shaft, resting on a hexagonal base forming a basin for holy water.
The cross is adorned with a finely chased Corpus Christi, surmounted by the titulus INRI, and surrounded by a spectacular silver sunburst, a symbol of divine glory and the Resurrection.
The ends of the arms are embellished with openwork rocaille motifs, characteristic of Flemish Baroque.
The whole is mounted on a carved wooden panel in the shape of a cartouche, with scalloped edges, typical of religious decorative production in the Low Countries.

The blackened background powerfully highlights the brilliance of the silver.

Visible hallmarks: The photos confirm the presence of old hallmarks stamped on the cross:
Crowned lion's head: Bruges city hallmark;
Crowned Gothic letter B: municipal mark;
Guild letter R: year 1733-1734;
Maker's mark: palm or olive branch (silversmith unidentified to date).

Dimensions:
Silver section: Height: 30.5 cm x Width: 15.5 cm x Depth: 5 cm;
Wooden panel: Height: 37 cm x Width: 26.5 cm;
Gross weight of silver (excluding wooden panel): 301 grams.

Condition:

Very good condition. Even antique patina. Minor signs of age, normal for a piece of this period. No major restoration observed.

The significant weight of silver, the elaborate decoration of applied elements, and above all the precise dating by guild place this object within a high-level production of religious goldsmithing, probably intended for a private aristocratic or ecclesiastical oratory.

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