{"product_id":"antique-italian-terracotta-holy-water-font-benitier-cherub-relief-circa-1880","title":"Antique Italian Terracotta Holy Water Font Bénitier — Cherub Relief, circa 1880","description":"\u003cp\u003eBefore alarm systems, people hung one of these by the front door. A \u003cstrong\u003ebénitier\u003c\/strong\u003e — a wall-mounted holy water font — was a staple of Catholic households across Southern Europe for centuries, and this one is a particularly lovely example. Made in Italy around 1880, it features a chubby cherub in high relief, surrounded by exuberant Baroque scrollwork in blue and gold-ochre glaze, with a small basin below for the holy water. It's devotional, it's decorative, and it's genuinely old.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe piece is hand-modelled terracotta with a pale pink\/cream base glaze and hand-painted blue and gold-ochre accents — the kind of finish you'd expect from a small Italian workshop producing religious objects for local households. The back is unglazed terracotta, as is typical for this type of piece, with a wire hanging loop. The cherub's expression is serene and slightly dreamy, which feels appropriate for something that's been watching over doorways for 140+ years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo maker's mark — also typical for this type of anonymous devotional craft production. The age-related patina on the glaze and the hand-modelled quality of the relief are consistent with late 19th-century Italian terracotta work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: Wall-mounted holy water font (bénitier)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrigin: Italy, circa 1880\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterial: Hand-modelled terracotta with polychrome glaze\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDecoration: Cherub \/ putti in relief with Baroque scrollwork\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: 13 cm height × 7.5 cm width × 4 cm depth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 140 grams\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHanging: Original wire loop on reverse\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: Antique — age-appropriate patina, no chips or cracks to the relief\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eHang it by a door, in a bedroom, or in any space that could use a touch of old-world Southern European character. It works beautifully as a devotional piece or simply as a remarkable example of 19th-century Italian folk craft.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e⚠️ WARNING:\u003c\/strong\u003e This bénitier is so atmospherically antique that the wall it hangs on may spontaneously develop exposed stone and a faint smell of incense. Maison de L'oro accepts no responsibility for any subsequent urge to visit Naples, learn Italian, or start collecting religious folk art. (Though honestly, you could do worse.)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maison de L'oro","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54128556048727,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0988\/4388\/5911\/files\/20260421-151548.jpg?v=1785076631","url":"https:\/\/maisondeloro.com\/products\/antique-italian-terracotta-holy-water-font-benitier-cherub-relief-circa-1880","provider":"Maison de L'oro ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}