- Bamberg Horseman
The Bamberg Horseman ( _de. Der Bamberger Reiter) is a life-size stone equestrian statue by an anonymous medieval sculptor in the cathedral of
Bamberg ,Germany .Dating probably from the time before the consecration of the
cathedral 's new building in1237 , but after1225 , it is located on a console at the north pillar of the St. George choir, which is its original location.Being located in a church and showing a crowned yet unarmed man, it is believed that it represents a historical king and saint. An obvious candidate is Saint
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (973-1024) who is buried in the cathedral along withPope Clement II , but he would likely have been depicted withImperial Regalia . Another possibility is his brother-in-law, holy kingStephen I of Hungary (975-1038) who stops his horse and looks towards the tomb of Henry. Modern research, by Hannes Möhring ofUniversity of Bayreuth , suggested in 2004 that during the times ofcrusades theMessiah according to theBook of Revelation (19:11–16) was depicted.It is considered the first monumental equestrian statue since
classical antiquity , and also one of the first to depict ahorse shoe . Beneath the horse's front hooves is one of the many sculptural representations of theGreen Man . Kathleen Basford, in her study of these figures, calls this Green Man the "dark counterpart" of the horseman.Stefan George (1868-1933) wrote a poem about the horseman. His work influencedClaus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg , the would-be assassin of Hitler who was a member of the cavalry unit "Bamberger Reiter- und Kavallerieregiment 17" (17th Cavalry Regiment).Further reading
*Basford, Kathleen. "The Green Man", D.S. Brewer (2004) ISBN 0-85991-497-6.
*Hannes Möhring. "König der Könige. Der Bamberger Reiter in neuer Interpretation". Königstein im Taunus, 2004. Langewiesche-Verlag, ISBN 3-7845-2141-X.
*Guido Dieckmann. "Die Nacht des steinernen Reiters". 2005. Aufbau Taschenbuch Verlag, ISBN 3-7466-2119-4.External links
* [http://www.historisches-franken.de/bamreiter/reiter02.htm Der Bamberger Reiter – Neueste Ergebnisse der Bauforschung am Bamberger Dom]
* [http://www.apfelweibla.de/bamberg_briefmarken_bamberger_reiter.htm stamp „Bamberger Reiter“]
* [http://www.planet-franken-online.de/frameweit2.html Fundstück Bamberger Reiter]
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