Kempen

Baptismal font consisting of a round basin decorated with heads and mythical creatures; made of Namur blue limestone ca. 1200; the later octagonalto-square base is late-Gothic. Described and illustrated in Drake (2002): the font at Kempen "was originally set upon five cylindrical supports, although the present single shaft, probably of the thirteenth century, is square, with integral octagonal base." The basin is round with tapering sides that are decorated with pairs of facing lion bodies that share the head, and there are human (?) heads at 90-degree angles, though they are rather flat and less protruding than on most Mosan fonts. As indicated in Drake (ibid.) the base is of a later date; it is octagonal-to-square and decorated with pronounced mouldings. Noted and illustrated in the Kirchbauverein Kempen [https://kirchbauverein-kempen.de/unsere-kirche/albiez-orgel-2] [accessed 1 January 2023] as a font of the 13th century: "Das älteste Kunstwerk in der Propsteikirche ist das Taufbecken aus dem 13. Jahrhundert, das einzig erhaltene Zeugnis des frühen Gotteshauses im romanischen Stil. In einfachen Bildern wird gezeigt, worum es bei der Taufe geht: Der Drache (Satan) und der Löwe (Christus) kämpfen um den Menschen. Christus ist der Sieger und wir mit ihm."