The Marian portals in Augsburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Thann and Ulm - products of the Parler workshops - are among the most spectacular and innovative gothic enterprises of the fourteenth century. Teeming with hundreds of sculptured figures set in an elaborate narrative, they share a similar story: the life of the Virgin Mary and stories of the creation. Through a close examination of these visual narratives as a late medieval communication art and through exploration of their visual stories, Assaf Pinkus, professor at the University of Tel Aviv, provides context to understand and appreciate their function within their cultural milieu.