Map of Central Park Outdoor Sculptures & Statues

Alexander Hamilton Statue in Central Park

Our map shows the locations of the numerous outdoor sculptures in Central Park. These statues, busts and other works of art were the creations of such great sculptors as Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Daniel Chester French and John Quincy Adams Ward. The subjects of these works include authors, poets, American figures, picturesque scenes such as "The Hunter" and "The Falconer", others of note include the sled dog Balto, "Cleopatra's Needle" and recently Duke Ellington & Fred Lebow.

Click on a map marker to view an information window. This window provides access to the Title and Description for each work of art, and a link to the Sculpture's Wikipedia webpage.

For more information, see our Central Park Guide to Sculptures & Statues.


REASONS TO BUY NOW

See 6 Top Attractions
Save 40% Off Gate Prices
Skip Ticket Lines
Take 9 Days To Use


More Info/Buy Now

CommunityWalk Map - Central Park Sculpture-Statue Map

Guide to Central Park Outdoor Sculptures & Statues

Alice in Wonderland Statue in Central Park

The number of sights and attractions available to NYC visitors is almost endless. If you are interested in artwork in public places, Central Park offers an extensive collection of pieces by many of the most popular artists. Our guide to Central Park outdoor sculptures, statues and memorials includes: Title, Year of Installation, Sculptor, a Description of the work of art and link access to more information. Note that

Our thanks for the information available on the websites of the following organizations: Wikipedia, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and the Central Park Conservatory. Upon reaching the park, you can stop by the Visitors Center and pick up a free map of all the attractions that can be found in the park.
 

Title Year Sculptor More Info

107th Infantry Memorial

1927

Karl Illava

More Info

The 107th Infantry Memorial is dedicated to the men who served in the 107th New York Infantry Regiment, originally Seventh Regiment of New York, during World War I. The regiment was, as its name implies, stationed in New York, and consisted of males mainly from this region. In 1917, the National Guard's 7th New York Infantry Registry Division. While in France, they saw heavy action, and at the end of the war in November 1918, of the 3,700 men originally in the regiment, 580 men were killed and 1,487 wounded, with four of the regiment's soldiers being awarded the Medal of Honor. The memorial depicts seven men; the one to the far right carrying two Mills bombs, while supporting the wounded soldier next to him. To his right another infantryman (depicting Robert Russell Bennett, a 107 combat veteran who was asked by the artist to model for the statue along with 6 other actual 107 veterans of the Somme) rushes towards the enemy positions, while the helmet less squad leader and another soldier are approaching the enemy with bayonets fixed. To the far left, one soldier is holding a mortally wounded soldier, keeping him on his feet. The bronze memorial was donated by 7th-107th Memorial Committee, and was designed and sculpted by Karl Illava, who served in the 107th IR as a sergeant in World War I. The monument was first conceived about 1920, was made in 1926–1927 and was placed in the park and unveiled in 1927, near the perimeter wall at Fifth Avenue and 67th Street.
 

Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen

1894

Albert Thorvaldsen

More Info

This bronze, life-sized sculpture is a self-portrait of the esteemed Danish sculptor Albert Thorvaldsen (1770–1844), and was dedicated in Central Park in 1894. It is the only statue of an artist displayed in the parks of New York City, and honors a titan in his field who had broad influence in sustaining the classical tradition in art.
 

Alexander Hamilton

1880

Carl H. Conrads

The standing sculpture of Alexander Hamilton standing in a grove of apple trees and crabapples west of the East Drive behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art was "presented by John C. Hamilton 1880", according to the inscription on its granite base. The donor was a descendant of Hamilton. It was sculpted by Carl Conrads.
 

Alexander von Humboldt

1869

Gustav Blaser

The bronze bust of naturalist Alexander von Humboldt by Gustav Blaeser (1813–1874) has stood since 1981 on a granite pedestal at Naturalists' Gate, 77th Street and Central Park West, opposite the corner of the American Museum of Natural History. The monument, donated by an ad hoc association of German-Americans, the Humboldt Memorial Association, was dedicated at its original location at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue on September 14, 1869.[9] Blaeser, who knew Humboldt, was said to have worked in part from Humboldt's death mask. The bronze was cast by Georg Ferdinand Howaldt, Braunschweig.
 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

1959

José de Creeft

More Info

One large sculpture depicts Alice, from Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The statue is located on East 74th Street on the north side of Central Park's Conservatory Water. Alice is pictured sitting on a giant mushroom reaching toward a pocket watch held by the White Rabbit. Peering over her shoulder is the Cheshire cat, flanked on one side by the dormouse, and on the other by Mad Hatter, who in contrast to the calm Alice looks ready to laugh out loud at any moment.
 

Balto

1925

Frederick George Richard Roth

More Info

Balto was dedicated to the sled dogs that led several dogsled teams through a snow-storm in the winter of 1925 in order to deliver medicines that would stop a diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska. The sculpture is slightly larger than the real-life dog, and is placed on a rock outcropping on the main path leading north from the Tisch Children's Zoo. The sculpture was created by Frederick George Richard Roth, and placed in the park in 1925. Like so many other monuments in the park, it's made of bronze, and it was donated to the park by the Balto Monument Committee to the City of New York. Under the sculpture, a small plaque can be found, containing the following inscription: Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxins six hundred miles over rough ice across treacherous waters through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the Winter of 1925.
 

Burnett Memorial Fountain

1936

Bessie Potter Vonnoh

The Burnett Memorial Fountain, dedicated to the author Frances Hodgson Burnett, was placed in the Conservatory Garden when it reopened in 1936, a donation by the ad hoc Children's Garden Building Committee. It was designed and created by Bessie Potter Vonnoh between 1926 and 1936. When Frances Hodgson Burnett died in 1924, some of her friends wanted to honor her memory by creating a storytelling area in Central Park. They chose the Conservatory Garden's south garden, at 104th Street and Fifth Avenue, as the site for the memorial. It is believed that the two figures, a reclining boy playing the flute and the young girl holding the bowl, represent Mary and Dickon, the main characters from The Secret Garden.
 

Cherry Hill Fountain

1860

Jacob Wrey Mould

More Info

This ornate fountain is the crowning centerpiece of a circular concourse at the crest of Cherry Hill. The circle was designed as a scenic turn-around for carriages, and the Victorian fountain as a watering trough for horses.
 

Christopher Columbus

1894

Jeronimo Sunol

More Info

In 1892, Christopher Columbus was donated to Central Park by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of his arrival in the Americas. The statue replicates one made by Jeronimo Suñol in 1892,[4] located at the Plaza de Colon, in Madrid. The New York version was placed in the park in 1894 at the foot of the Mall, and is today one of two monuments of Columbus found in the park's environs, the other being the statue surmounting the column at Columbus Circle. The sculpture depicts the explorer standing with outstretched arms, looking towards the heavens in gratitude for his successful voyage.
 

Daniel Webster

1876

Thomas Ball

The bronze standing figure of Daniel Webster by Thomas Ball stands on a high granite plinth at the confluence of two carriage drives near the foot of Strawberry Fields Memorial, at approximately 72nd Street. Ball had circulated many examples of statuettes of this model. The over-lifesize bronze, cast in Munich, was presented by Gordon W. Burnham in 1876. The plinth bears as a bronze legend Webster's famous phrases LIBERTY AND UNION, NOW AND FOREVER, ONE AND INSEPARABLE. .[10]
 

Delacorte Musical Clock

1965

Andrea Spadini

One of the most beloved monuments in the parks of New York City, this musical clock hovers above the arcade between the Wildlife Center and the Children's Zoo. A gift of publisher and philanthropist George T. Delacorte (1894–1991), it was dedicated in 1965.
 

Dr. James Marion Sims

1892

Ferdinand Von Miller

The statue of Dr James Marion Sims by Thomas Ball was cast in Munich. It is located near Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street.
 

Duke Ellington

1997

Robert Graham

More Info

This sculpture is the first monument in New York City dedicated to an African American and the first memorial to Duke Ellington in the United States.
 

Eagles and Prey

1863

Christophe Fratin

More Info

Eagles and Prey, designed and created by Christophe Fratin, is the oldest known sculpture in any New York City park. It is made of bronze, and was cast in Paris, France in 1850 and was placed in the park in 1863. The sculpture was donated by Gordon Webster Burnham, who also donated the statue of Daniel Webster, as well as statues in other cities. The monument depicts a goat, wedged accidentally between two rocks, which is about to be devoured by two eagles. Their talons are sunk into the back of the goat as they flap their wings in victory.
 

Fitz-Greene Halleck

1877

James Wilson Alexander MacDonald

Fitz-Greene Halleck has been described as the least known literary figure today on Literary Walk, despite being the only person to have a memorial unveiled by the then-president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877, ten years after his death in November 1867. The monument was funded by the use of public subscription, and had a long list of prominent guests and speakers at the dedication and unveiling of the monument, among them the president's cabinet, General of the Army William T.Sherman, the poets Bayard Taylor, George Henry Boker and William Cullen Bryant, as well as other notable citizens. The monument is made in bronze by James Wilson Alexander MacDonald, and is placed near the Literary Walk and The Mall. The monument has been thoroughly refurbished by The Central Park Conservancy, first by hot waxing it in 1983, and then again in 1992, as well as in 1999, when it was dewaxed, pressure-washed and repatinated, and then protected by a coating of a corrosion-inhibiting lacquer.
 

Fred Lebow

1994

Jesus Ygnacio Dominguez

More Info

This life-sized bronze sculpture depicts Fred Lebow (1932–1994), who is best remembered as the founder of the world-renowned New York City Marathon and longtime president of the New York Road Runners Club. The sculpture was created by Jesus Ygnacio Dominguez and shows Lebow in his trademark running suit and hat, checking his watch as runners cross the finish line.
 

Frederick Douglas

2011

Gabriel Koren

More Info

An eight-foot bronze statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was dedicated at the northwest corner of Central Park in 2011. The statue is surrounded by a fountain memorial that is emblazoned with quotations and located near the traffic circle at the corner of 110th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard — known as the Gateway to Harlem.
 

Friedrich Von Schiller

1859

C. L. Richter

More Info

German-American citizens wished to honor their country's cultural heroes, Beethoven and Schiller, with monuments in the Park. The bust of Schiller, dramatist, poet, and philosopher, was the first sculpture intended to be placed in the Park. Its original site was in the Ramble, as Schiller was a Romantic nature poet. In the 20th century, the bust was moved to the Mall, deemed a more appropriate place for the sculpture.
 

General Sherman

1903

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

The sculpture of General William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the finest sculptures by the talented American sculptor and New York City resident Augustus St.Gaudens. In 1892, St. Gaudens modeled a bust of the general who lived in New York after the Civil War. He then created the equestrian sculpture in Paris, France, completing it in 1903. After much discussion, the sculpture was placed at the main entrance to the Park, befitting such an important historical figure and monumental work of art.
 

Giuseppe Mazzini

1878

Giovanni Turni

More Info

Giuseppe Mazzini is an outdoor bronze bust of Giuseppe Mazzini by Giovanni Turini, overlooking Central Park's Sheep Meadow (West Drive near 67th Street). The sculpture was commissioned by a group of Italian-Americans and was dedicated in 1878. It sits on a granite pedestal, which includes two inscriptions that translate to "thought and action" and "God and the people".
 

Group of Bears

1960

Paul Manship

More Info

This bronze sculpture by Paul Manship (1885–1966) depicts a group of three bears on a circular stepped pedestal. Located at the Pat Hoffman Friedman Playground at Fifth Avenue and 79th Street, the piece was a gift from Samuel N. Friedman in memory of his wife, Pat. The piece was cast in 1960 and unveiled on October 11, 1990 at the playground’s dedication.
 

Hans Christian Andersen

1956

Georg Lober

Hans Christian Andersen was a famous Danish fairy-tale write; his most notable work being "The Ugly Duckling". This statue features him sitting and reading to a stray duck. The 1956 work by sculptor Georg J. Lober was constructed with contributions from Danish and American schoolchildren. It was cast at Modern Art Foundry, Astoria, Queens, NY.
 

Indian Hunter

1869

John Quincy Adams Ward

Indian Hunter (1866) by John Quincy Adams Ward was shown at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867 and made the sculptor's reputation. It was the first sculpture by an American sculptor to be sited in Central Park, in 1869. It stands on the pathway west of The Mall, between the Mall and Sheep Meadow, at approximately 66th Street.
 

John Purroy Mitchel Monument

1928

Adolph Alexander Weinman

More Info

This granite and bronze piece honors John Purroy Mitchel (1879–1918) who, as mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917, was known for his uncompromising idealism and scrupulous honesty. Dedicated in 1928, the work consists of a stele, bust, and ornamental wall and is located on the eastern embankment of Central Park’s Reservoir at 90th Street. The Mitchel Memorial Committee retained architects Thomas Hastings and Don Barber to design the expansive granite stele and commissioned German-born sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman (1870–1952) to design the gilded bronze portrait bust of Mitchel.
 

José de San Martín

1951

Louis Joseph Daumas

More Info

This heroic bronze equestrian statue depicts Argentine general José de San Martín (1778–1850), who helped Argentina, Chile, and Peru gain independence from the Spanish in the early part of the 19th century. The statue is a replica of a work by French sculptor Louis Joseph Daumas (1801–1887) dating to 1862. The original is in Buenos Aires in a more elaborate setting. In 1950 the City of Buenos Aires gave this piece to the City of New York, in exchange for a statue previously sent to Argentina of General George Washington to whom San Martín is often compared. The monument was dedicated on May 25, 1951 on a pedestal of polished black granite designed by the noted architectural firm of Clarke & Rapuano.
 

José Martí

1965

Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington

More Info

Sculptor Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876–1973) created this larger-than-life bronze equestrian statue depicting Cuban patriot and author José Martí (1853–1895). Her last major work, Hyatt Huntington executed this piece at age 82, and presented the statue as a gift to the Cuban government for presentation to the people of New York City. The Cuban government donated the monument’s dark granite pedestal, which was designed by the architectural firm of Clarke & Rapuano. The Central Park Conservancy conserved the Martí monument in 1992 using funds raised by Cuban-Americans from throughout the United States.
 

King Jagiello Monument

1945

Stanislaw K. Ostrowski

More Info

The King Jagiello Monument is an equestrian statue of King Wladyslaw II Jagiello of Poland holding over his head two crossed swords. It is the largest sculpture in Central Park. The monument commemorates the medieval Battle of Grunwald, where Polish knights supported by Lithuanian, Ruthenian, Czech, and Tatar knights defeated the Teutonic Order. POLAND is inscribed on both sides of the plinth, and in the front lower-right corner is engraved the name of the sculptor, Stanislaw K. Ostrowski (1879–1947), who created this bronze monument for the Polish 1939 New York World's Fair pavilion. As a result of the outbreak of the World War II, the monument stayed in New York; in July 1945 it was presented to the City of New York by the King Jagiello Monument Committee and permanently placed in Central Park with the cooperation of the last pre-Communist consul of Poland in New York, Kazimierz Krasicki. The King Jagiello monument is situated on the east side of the Turtle Pond, across from Belvedere Castle and southeast of the Great Lawn.
 

Lehman Gates

1961

Paul Manship

The Lehman Gates were donated by Governor and Mrs. Herbert H. Lehman in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary upon the opening of the Central Park Children's Zoo in 1961. Depicting animals, birds and boys playing panpipes in a fanciful art Deco scrolling lintel, the whole composition is a lovely commentary on the interaction between children and animals, fitting for the zoo entrance.
 

Ludwig van Beethoven

1884

Henry Baerer

More Info

This sculpture, situated in the part of Central Park traditionally set aside for public concerts, depicts the famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) and was created by the German-American sculptor Henry Baerer (1837–1908). The sculptor represents Beethoven with his trademark leonine hair and an expressive intensity reflecting his musical prowess. At the base of the tall gray granite pedestal he composed a bronze allegorical figure holding a lyre, personifying the “Genius of Music". A replica of the Beethoven statue stands in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
 

Mother Goose

1938

Frederick George Richard Roth

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.
 

Obelisk aka Cleopatra's Needle

1881

unknown

More Info

The oldest man-made object in Central Park is this Obelisk, located directly behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nicknamed Cleopatra’s Needle soon after its installation, the stone shaft has nothing to do with the legendary Queen of the Nile. Thutmosis III, an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from 1479-1425 B.C., had a pair of obelisks made to celebrate his third jubilee (30th year of reign). This is one of them, and the other stands on the bank of the Thames River in London. Made from the quarries at Aswan, the two pink granite monoliths once stood on either side of the portals to the Temple of the Sun in the sacred city of Heliopolis on the Nile River. The shafts themselves are sixty-nine feet high from base to tip, and weigh somewhere between 193 and 200 tons. The base and steps, which were added in Alexandria, are 27 feet high and weigh over 50 tons.
 

Osborn Gates

1952

Paul Manship

More Info

One of the most important pieces of art in Central Park, the cast-bronze gates were created by renowned sculptor Paul Manship. The Central Park Conservancy refurbished the gates in 2009, and today they stand at the entrance of Ancient Playground at Fifth Avenue and 84th Street. With their fanciful depiction of five vignettes from Aesop's Fables, the Osborn Gates found a fitting new home at the entrance of Ancient Playground.
 

Prospero and Miranda

1966

Milton Hebald

The Tempest, a 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).
 

Pulitzer Fountain, Abundance

1916

Karl Bitter

More Info

Pulitzer Fountain is an impressive 22-foot-high ornamental fountain located at the Grand Army Plaza, designed by sculptor Karl Bitter (1867-1915) and architect Thomas Hastings (1860-1929). The fountain is topped by the bronze allegorical figure Pomona, the goddess of abundance, who is seen holding a basket of fruit.
 

Richard Morris Hunt

1898

Daniel Chester French

This piece is a bust of the architect Richard Morris Hunt at the Hunt Memorial, along with two other figures sculpted by Daniel Chester French. Flanking the Hunt bust are statuettes, one holding a sculptor's mallet and a palette, representing the allied arts, while the other holds a model for the Administration Building at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, designed by Hunt. The granite and marble Hunt memorial was designed by American architect Bruce Price.
 

Romeo and Juliet

1978

Milton Hebald

More Info

The entrance to the Delacorte Theatre is guarded by two life-size sculptures, The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet, which feature characters from Shakespeare's plays. Romeo and Juliet depicts the lovers as they are about to kiss, with Romeo bending over Juliet whose head is thrown back. The simplicity of the sculpture lends additional innocence to the moment.
 

Samuel F. B. Morse

1871

Byron M. Picket

More Info

At the entrance of Inventor's Gate on the east side of Central Park at 72nd Street is the appropriately placed statue of Samuel Morse, an American painter and inventor. He is standing next to his most renowned invention, the electric telegraph. With one hand on his invention the other displays a strip of Morse Code.
 

Seventh Regiment Memorial

1874

John Quincy Adams Ward

More Info

This statue honors the 58 men of the 7th Regiment who died defending the Union during the Civil War. Created by American sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward, the bronze piece depicts an American soldier, hands at rest on his rifle. Officers and members of the regiment funded the sculpture, and Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of the Park, suggested the statue's pose. Ward himself unveiled the piece during its dedication in June 1874.
 

Sherman Monument

1903

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

The sculpture of General William Tecumseh Sherman is one of the finest sculptures by the talented American sculptor and New York City resident Augustus St. Gaudens. In 1892, St. Gaudens modeled a bust of the general who lived in New York after the Civil War. He then created the equestrian sculpture in Paris, France, completing it in 1903. After much discussion, the sculpture was placed at the main entrance to the Park, befitting such an important historical figure and monumental work of art.
 

Simón Bolívar

1921

Sally James Farnham

One of a trio of bronze equestrian sculptures representing Latin American leaders, the Simon Bolivar statue commemorates a military general and advocate of Pan-Americanism. Bolivar (1783-1830) is credited with the liberation from Spanish domination of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Panama.
 

Sir Walter Scott

1872

Sir John Steell

This larger-than-life-sized bronze portrait of Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) which was crafted by Sir John Steell (1804–1891) was dedicated on the “Literary Walk” in Central Park in 1872. Scott is depicted seated on a rock, in a flowing cloak with workingman’s shoes, book and pen in hand. Beside him sits his faithful hound.
 

Robert Burns

1872

Sir John Steell

This statue of Scottish national poet Robert Burns (1759–1796), companion to the 1872 Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) across Literary Walk, is by Sir John Steell (1804–1891), and was dedicated in 1880. Not long after the unveiling of Sir Walter Scott in 1872, a committee formed to erect a monument to Burns; a year later, specifying only the material and colossal size, it selected the same sculptor, John Steell, to create Scott’s bronze counterpart. Steell's melodramatic conception depicts Burns seated on a tree stump, quill pen in hand, eyes turned heavenward in a pose of inspiration. At his feet is a poem dedicated to his lost love, Mary Campbell, and a plough alluding to his agrarian origins.
 

Sophie Irene Loeb

1936

Frederick George Richard Roth

More Info

Frederick George Richard Roth (1872–1944) created this decorative, reinforced concrete drinking fountain inspired by Lewis Carroll’s children’s story Alice in Wonderland (1865). The fountain commemorates newspaperwoman and social worker Sophie Irene Loeb (1876-1929), who was the founder and first president of the Child Welfare Board of New York City. Loeb is recognized in this context for her support of recreational opportunities for children in Central Park.
 

Still Hunt

1883

Edward Kemeys

Still Hunt was placed in the park in 1883. This bronze sculpture of a crouching cougar waiting to pounce, was created by Edward Kemeys, the famous American sculptor who also created the famous Hudson Bay wolves at the Philadelphia Zoo and lions at the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago. Situated on a rock outcrop on the west side of the East Drive at the edge of the Ramble, the crouching animal has scared many joggers as they climb "Cat Hill" and approach this life-size and realistic representation. Unlike the traditional sculptures of other animals in the park that sit on a base or pedestal, Kemeys situated his animal directly on the rock ledge. Kemeys was so interested in depicting his animals in a realistic mode that he traveled to the western states to see them in their native habitat.
 

The Angel of the Waters

1873

Emma Stebbins

More Info

The sandstone Bethesda Terrance, with benches built into the walls, is the site of the Angel of the Waters, one of the world’s most famous fountains. Bethesda Fountain, as it is commonly called, was the only sculpture commissioned during the original design of Central Park. Twenty-six feet high and ninety-six feet in diameter, it remains one of the largest fountains in New York. 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. The lily in the angel’s hand represents purity, while the four figures below represent Peace, Health, Purity, and Temperance.
 

The Falconer

1875

George Blackall Simonds

More Info

This elegant bronze statue is the work of British sculptor George Blackall Simonds (1844-1929). The statue depicts a young falconer in Elizabethan garb, holding aloft a falcon poised for release. It is installed on a cylindrical granite pedestal perched on a natural rock outcropping south of the 72nd Street transverse road, and east of the park's West Drive.
 

The Monument to the Maine

1913

Attilio Picarelli

The Maine Monument stands at Merchant’s Gate, a park entrance named in 1862 to recognize the importance of commerce and business in New York City. The monument honors the 258 American sailors who perished when the battleship USS Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, then under Spanish rule. The monument is rich in allegory and symbolism. Atop the center pylon rides the bronze figure of a woman, Columbia Triumphant, drawn in a seashell chariot by three sea horses. In the front of the tall shaft is an allegorical group arranged in a ship configuration. The youth at the prow of the ship holds his hands in the sign of the Victory that he represents. Recumbent figures at the side fountains represent the Atlantic and Pacific, while those at the rear represent The Post-Bellum Idea: Justice Receiving Back the Sword Entrusted to War. The names of those who died on the Maine are inscribed on the pylon above the oceans, while all over dolphins, seashells, and sea creatures bring a unity of decoration to the complex allegorical composition.
 

The Pilgrim

1885

John Quincy Adams Ward

More Info

On the occasion of the New England Society's 75th year, the association commissioned the statue to honor the early colonists. The pilgrim grasps the muzzle of a flintlock musket in his right hand. The pedestal comprises four bas-reliefs depicting Crossbow and Arrows, the ship Mayflower, Commerce, and Bible and Sword. The inscription on the pedestal reads "To commemorate the Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers on Plymouth Rock: December 21, 1620."
 

The Untermyer Fountain

1947

Walter Schott

This sculpture came to Central Park in 1947 after the death of Samuel Untermyer. It is a cast of the original. Just how Untermyer acquired the sculpture from the Berlin original or had the cast made remains a mystery. It was donated to Central Park by Untermyer's children and was originally at his estate in Yonkers, New York. Completed before 1910 in Germany, Walter Schott's Three Dancing Maidens depicts a circle of three young women whose dresses cling to their wet bodies as if they were perpetually in the fountain's spray. One larger jet of water is featured in the middle of their dance, while two smaller jets appear on either side of the oval pool. The circle of the sculpture and base and the ellipse of the pool complement the slightly oval-shaped garden itself. Today the fountain is a joy to those who visit the Conservatory Garden, especially in spring amidst the tulip display, in early May, and in the fall when the Korean chrysanthemums bloom.
 

Thomas Moore

1880

D. B. Sheahan

More Info

This bronze bust of the Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779–1852) by sculptor Dennis B. Sheahan, was dedicated in Central Park in 1880. Thomas Moore, born of humble origins in Dublin, Ireland, demonstrated precocious abilities in acting, singing, and writing verse. By the time he was admitted to Trinity College in 1794, he was already a published poet. In 1800, his translation of Odes of Anacreon brought him critical acclaim. The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, a citizens group of Irish descent, commissioned this statue of Moore. This bust of Moore was unveiled in 1880 on the 101st anniversary of the poet’s birth.
 

Tigress and Cubs

1867

Auguste Nicolas Cain

This striking bronze sculpture is one of the oldest in Central Park. Sculpted by Auguste Nicolas Cain (1822–1894), it depicts a tigress and her young who are in the process of devouring a peacock. Cast at the F. Bardienne Foundry in Paris, Tigress and Cubs was presented in 1867 to the Board of Commissioners of Central Park by twelve New York citizens, including artist and inventor Samuel F. B. Morse. The piece was placed in a wooded area on a rock outcropping near the lake. In 1934, it was relocated to the Central Park Zoo, and after the 1988 renovation of the zoo, it took its current position in a protected setting between the Intelligence Garden and the Tropical Zone.
 

USS Maine National Monument

1913

Attilio Piccirilli & Charles Keck

More Info

The Maine Monument commemorates the 260 American sailors who perished in 1898 when the battleship Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, then under Spanish rule. It is still unclear what caused the explosion, but Spain declared war on the United States. Four days after the Maine went down, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst's New York Morning Journal called for a public collection for a monument to honor the sailors. The gilded bronze figures atop the pylon represent Columbia Triumphant leading a seashell chariot of three hippocampi, part horse, part sea-creature. They are said to be cast from metal recovered from the guns of the Maine itself. The figures reflect America's new position as a dominant world force.
 

Victor Herbert

1927

Edmond Thomas Quinn

More Info

This bronze portrait bust of Victor Herbert (1859–1924), an Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, is by sculptor Edmund Thomas Quinn (1868–1929). The memorial sculpture, commissioned by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), was unveiled by Herbert's daughter in 1927 at a dedication attended by Irving Berlin and Arthur Hammerstein.
 

William Shakespeare

1872

John Quincy Adams Ward

More Info

This bronze statue of William Shakespeare on a stone pedestal, located to the south of the Mall, was erected with funds raised from a benefit performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar on November 25, 1864, at The Winter Garden Theatre, in a performance by Edwin Booth, Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. and their younger brother, John Wilkes Booth. John Quincy Adams Ward sculpted the work.
 

You may also be interested in our:



NYC Tickets:  Broadway Shows | Off-Broadway | Sports | Attractions | Concerts
Things-To-Do | Tours | Attractions | TheatreHotels |
City Info | Site Map | Maps | Events

In our 18th year, we welcome your feedback at info@mustseenewyork.com
A member of the Must See Destinations network | © Must See New York 2002-2019