Central Park, New York City, NY
After attending a morning AGM business meeting, Adell and I were free to do some more exploring. Central Park was nearby so, although we were now dressed more in business attire than in vacationing attire, we visited many of the walkways in the southern section of Central Park. Business footwear is not as kind to my feet anymore :-). Considering the number of people who walk through Central Park each day, I’m sure that every one of my photos has probably been taken by thousands before me except that every day nature changes the scene just a little bit. My previous visit to Central Park had been in April of the year so definitely greener this time around. For the first part of this post, I am focusing on some of the many statues in the park. Information that I have provided for each statue comes from the New York City Central Park website and, where practical, I have provided a link to the specific Central Park page for additional information. Lots of interesting information on that website.
Delacourt Clock: Designer Fernando Texidor collaborated with architect Edward Coe Embury (son of the 1934 zoo’s designer, Aymar Embury II) to create a brick arcaded bridge between the Monkey House (now the Zoo School) and the main Central Park Zoo quadrangle to house the clock and its animal sculpture carousel. Italian sculptor Andrea Spadini (1912–1983) crafted the whimsical bronze sculptures, which depict a penguin, kangaroo, bear, elephant, goat, and hippo parading with a variety of musical instruments as well as two monkeys with mallets that strike the bell. Each day between eight in the morning and six in the evening, the clock–now digitally programmed–plays one of thirty-two nursery rhyme tunes. (More information about the Delacourt Clock)
Mother Goose: Frederick George Richard Roth (1872-1944) created this whimsical sculpture of Mother Goose and her related fables. The statue consists of the central figure of a witch astride a goose, surrounded by bas-reliefs of Humpty Dumpty, Old King Cole, Little Jack Horner, Mother Hubbard, and Mary and her little lamb. Roth and a team of craftsmen carved this work of art from a 13-ton piece of Westerly granite. (More info about the Mother Goose statue)
Angels of the Waters: Angel of the Waters was created by sculptor Emma Stebbins (1815-1882), the first woman to receive a commission for a major public work in New York City. She worked on the design of the statue in Rome, from 1861 until its completion in 1868. Cast in Munich, it was finally dedicated in Central Park five years later. (More info about the Angels of the Waters and the Bethesda Terrace)
Romeo & Juliet: This bronze piece in front of the Delacorte Theater depicts the doomed lovers of celebrated playwright and poet William Shakespeare’s (1564–1616) tragic play Romeo and Juliet. One of two companion pieces sculpted by Milton Hebald (born 1917) and unveiled in 1977, the piece is a gift of publisher and philanthropist George T. Delacorte (1894–1991). He donated the Delacorte Theater, which is best known for its free Shakespeare productions that play each summer. On the occasion of our visit to Central Park, seniors were sitting quietly on the bench behind the statue waiting for the tickets for the free performance to be distributed. I didn’t qualify for a spot on the bench so would have had to have joined the younger folks waiting in a much longer line-up. (More information about the Romeo & Juliet statue)
The Tempest: This bronze piece in front of the Delacorte Theater depicts Prospero, one of the main characters of celebrated playwright and poet William Shakespeare’s (1564–1616) play The Tempest. One of two companion pieces sculpted by Milton Hebald (born 1917) and unveiled in 1966, the piece is a gift of publisher and philanthropist George T. Delacorte (1894–1991). (More information about The Tempest sculpture)
I’ll get back to a few more Central Park statues a bit later in this post but first a look over to the area to the left of the Tempest statue to a place where some reptilian inhabitants have a pond to call their own, Turtle Pond.