The Bamberg Horseman (german: Der Bamberger Reiter) is an early 13th-century stone

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

by an anonymous

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

sculptor in the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

of Bamberg,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Description

Dating probably from the time before the consecration of the

's new building in 1237, but after 1225, it is located on a console at the north pillar of the St. George choir, it is not known whether this is the intended position of the statue although the base appears to be original and the structure of the base would seem to dissuade moving.

Interpretation

Being located in a church and showing a crowned yet unarmed man, it is believed that it represents a specific king, perhaps one who was a saint. A candidate is

Emperor Henry II Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler ...

(973-1024) who is buried in the cathedral along with

Pope Clement II Pope Clement II ( la, Clemens II; born Suidger von Morsleben; died 9 October 1047), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1046 until his death in 1047. He was the first in a series of reform-minded popes ...

, but he would likely have been depicted with

Imperial Regalia The Imperial Regalia, also called Imperial Insignia (in German ''Reichskleinodien'', ''Reichsinsignien'' or ''Reichsschatz''), are regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The most important parts are the Crown, the Imperial orb, the Imperial sc ...

. Another possibility is his brother-in-law, king

Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the ...

(975-1038) who stops his horse and looks towards the tomb of Henry. Another theory favours Emperor Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor at the time, who financed much of the rebuilding of the cathedral. Yet another theory, supported by Hannes Möhring of the

University of Bayreuth A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, holds that the figure represents the

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

according to the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...

(19:11–16). In 2014, an inventory of the statues in the cathedral gave rise to the theory that a project for a large sculptural screen for the eastern choir was begun and abandoned after only a few statues had been completed; two other unusual sculptures in the church fit into this proposal. According to the reconstruction, the horseman was supposed to be one of the

Three Wise Men 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 190 ...

in a scene depicting the birth of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

, his upturned gaze following the

Star of Bethlehem The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 where "wise men from the East" (Magi) are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There, they meet King Herod of Judea, and ask hi ...

. It is considered the first monumental equestrian statue since

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

, and also one of the first to depict a horse shoe. Beneath the horse's front hooves is one of the many sculptural representations of the

Green Man The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every Spring (season), spring. The Green Man is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of ...

Kathleen Basford Kathleen Basford (6 September 1916 – 20 December 1998) was a British botanist, with a special interest in genetics. She is known for discovering a form of fuchsia that was a cross between a New Zealand and Mexican fuchsia, proving this form of ...

, in her study of these figures, calls this Green Man the "dark counterpart" of the horseman.

Stefan George Stefan Anton George (; 12 July 18684 December 1933) was a German symbolist poet and a translator of Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Hesiod, and Charles Baudelaire. He is also known for his role as leader of the highly influential literary ...

wrote a poem about the horseman. His work influenced

Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Colonel Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair. Despite ...

, the would-be assassin of Hitler who was a member of the cavalry unit ''Bamberger Reiter- und Kavallerieregiment 17'' (17th Cavalry Regiment).

References

External links

Cathedral website (German)

{{Authority control 1230s works Gothic sculptures German sculpture Equestrian statues in Germany 13th-century sculptures Buildings and structures in Bamberg Anonymous works Stone sculptures in Germany

Description

Interpretation

See also

References

Further reading

External links