Steyerberg No. 1

Noted and illustrated in Schulin (2021) as a Romanesque font of the 13th century in the form of a capital ["Gelegentlich sind TB aus Kapitellen gefertigt oder ihnen nachgebildet, wie etwa in der Ev. St. Katharinen-Kirche zu Steverberg [sic] (A.13. Jh.) (Abb. 440)"] [https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/artdok/6951/1/Schulin_Taufbecken_in_Deutschland_2021.pdf] [accessed 9 July 2023]. A baptismal font probably of the early-13th century here decorated with animals ["Ältestes Zeugnis der örtlichen Kirchengeschichte ist ein kapitellförmiges, u. a. mit Tierornamenten verziertes Taufbecken, das vermutlich aus dem Anfang des 13. Jh. stammt [...] Becken eines romanischen Taufsteins (Anfang 13. Jh.), Kapitellform, verziert mit Kopf- und Tierornamenten; aufgestellt im Turmraum"] is mentioned in the Kirchengemeindelexikon 1800 Geschichten [https://kirchengemeindelexikon.de/einzelgemeinde/steyerberg-riessen/] [accessed 9 July 2023]. A stone font [fragment?] in this church is noted and illustrated in the St. Katharinen-Kirchengemeinde Steyerberg [https://steyerberg.wir-e.de/taufe] [accessed 9 July 2023]; the object, which appears to be externally in the shape of a capital [square to round?] is noted as "Taufbecken im Turmraum"; the basin sides are decorated with large palmette motifs, among which are several figures(?), one of them a typical passant lion with a long extended tongue and a foliated tail, much in the style of other Romanesque lions in the North; another of the figures(?) appears to be devil-like with raised arms. Despite claims to a 10th-century dating in some sources [cf. infra], the style could fit the period of the earlier church here [1180-1250]; the font is badly damaged around the upper rim. The parish web site [https://www.kirchenkreis-stolzenau-loccum.de/gemeinden/steyerberg] [accessed 9 July 2023] mentions two fonts in it: "Ein etwa 1000jähriger Taufstein im Eingangsbereich ...] und ein hölzerner Taufstein aus dem Jahr 1656." The two fonts are similarly noted in Flecken Steyerberg [https://www.steyerberg.de/portal/seiten/die-kirche-zu-riessen-12000058-21600.html] [accessed 9 July 2023]. The Wikipedia entry for this church [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:St.-Katharinen-Kirche_(Steyerberg)] [accessed 9 July 2023] reports two fonts in this church: one stone font with carvings and probably of the 10th century located in the tower space ["Ein steinerner Taufstein romanischen Stils, wohl aus dem 10. Jahrhundert, mit eingemeißelten Darstellungen steht in der Turmhalle"]; a second font, richly decorated and made of wood was donated to the church in 1656; it has a removable font cover ["Ein reich verziertes hölzernes Taufbecken mit abnehmbarem Deckel wurde 1656 gestiftet"].