Gothic statuary, influenced by that of Reims, achieved its fullest plastic expression at Bamberg, where the anonymous sculptor of a group of the “Visitation” in the interior of the cathedral, inspired by the figures at Reims, is also responsible for the Bamberg Horseman, executed in about 1240.

The first truly monumental equestrian statue of the epoch, the regal, life-size horseman (whose identity remains unknown) impressively embodies the age’s chivalrous ideal of rulership.