Illustrations of Baptismal Fonts

6B Compiled by Thomas Combe. Intro by F. A. Paley. London: John Van Voorst, 1844. First Edition.

Frederick Apthorp Paley was a highly distinguished English classical scholar, author, and an influential figure within the 19th-century ecclesiological movement. Grandson of the famous theologian William Paley, he was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, where his deep fascination with Gothic architecture led him to become an exceptionally active member of the Cambridge Camden Society. Paley’s sharp eye for medieval design and structural evolution made him the perfect choice to pen the comprehensive historical introduction for this volume. Though his primary academic legacy resides in his landmark translations of classical Greek drama, his meticulous contributions to ecclesiology helped catalyze the Victorian era’s passionate Gothic Revival movement, permanently altering how British society valued its structural church heritage.

Compiled by the prominent printer and patron of the arts Thomas Combe, this beautiful monograph stands as a premier architectural survey documenting ecclesiastical antiquities throughout the British Isles. The unpaginated volume meticulously details the shape, scale, and historical styles of early church basins, tracing examples ranging from primitive Norman tubs to highly intricate Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic fonts. Crucially for collectors, the monograph is celebrated for its 124 to 127 spectacular wood-engraved plates executed by the iconic architectural engraver Orlando Jewitt, whose crisp linework brings the ancient masonry to life.

Marbled green and brown boards with three quarter brown leather. Gilt lettering to spine. Intricate illustrations throughout. Marbled endpapers. Red edges. Fully intact.