Font in Binham Church, Norfolk 1811

John Sell Cotman captured this drawing of the font in Binham Church in 1811. The octagonal shape immediately attracts our attention. The number eight appears throughout history as a symbol of regeneration, rebirth, and the passage from the earthly to the eternal. Consider the baptisteries of early Christianity, often octagonal, where the act of baptism signified a new beginning. The recurrence of this shape—from ancient Roman architecture to Renaissance art—speaks to a collective human desire for renewal. This motif resurfaces time and again. Each appearance, each iteration, is influenced by the cultural and historical context in which it is manifested, carrying forward echoes of past meanings even as it adopts new nuances. It becomes a mirror reflecting humanity’s ever-evolving understanding of itself.