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 At G. E. Street’s church of All Saints, Boyne Hill, Maidenhead can be seen a
particularly fine example of a font cover by Fellowes Prynne. Indeed, it was all
he did here. An attempt will be made to give a full description of the piece.
The cover is round in plan, and overall is dome-shaped. The dome is made up of
six panels, the base of each housing part of the text: EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN OF
WATER AND THE SPIRIT HE CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD. The cross-section at
this point is hexagonal; the hexagon rests on the circular base which takes up
the shape of the font. The carving detail around the edge of the circular base
is not unlike that which can be seen on certain of Fellowes Prynne’s screens,
that is, a mixture of formal and florid patterns in parallel rows.
 Above this is the hexagonal base of the actual dome, with the aforementioned
text, and more decorative carving above the text. At the intersection of each of
each of the six panels, at this level, are short pinnacles. Inside these, and
the layer of decoration above the text, the panels themselves are based. These
panels resemble a traceried lancet window top, with a circle enclosing three
“trefoils with tails” and other standard details of tracery. The panels
themselves are each joined at the sides, giving the necessary tapering of the
dome, and enabling more decoration to be used, this time on the ribs at each
panel join. The ribs have crockets similar to those on the pinnacles, and a kind
of spiral detail along their full length. At the point of intersection of these
ribs the woodwork fans out slightly, with six four-petalled flowers, above which
is another circle of florid carving. The shape of this part of the cover, above
the point where the ribs join, is not unlike that of a thistle, or perhaps a
goblet of some kind. Above this, to complete the piece, is a dove with
outstretched wings. The dove features prominently in Fellowes Prynne’s font
covers, and here it is a particularly realistic looking bird.
To
emphasise the glory of the craftsmanship, certain features of the carving are
picked out in gliding, giving the finishing touch to this beautiful piece of
church art. |
