Design for a baptismal font
Louis C. Tiffany American
Tiffany Studios
Not on view
This design was for a baptismal font for Saint Paul’s church in Paterson, New Jersey. While the white marble columns recall the supports from ancient Greek temples, the dome in gold filigree with inset jewels and bold enamel evokes Byzantine architecture and its characteristic melding of East and West. Although it is unknown whether this baptismal font was ever executed, its similarity to the church’s existing Gorham Manufacturing Company font, presented in 1912 as a memorial to Mrs. Jane Hamilton, the first wife of Rector David Stuart Hamilton, suggests that possibly it did once inhabit Saint Paul’s.
