Visit New York City's Central Park Sculptures
Sculptures and Statues Abound in Central Park
Nov 21, 2008
New York City's Central Park has many sculptures – twenty-nine to be exact, but over fifty if all the monuments against the park’s walls are counted. The statues include historical figures and characters from literature, as well as more modern sculptures. Here’s a look at some of Central Park’s most popular sculptures.
First Must-See Sculpture in Central Park: The Falconer
Located in Central Park’s South End, The Falconer is a statue of a young man with his left arm raised high as a falcon lands on it. While this Central Park sculpture itself evokes an uplifting sense of hope and optimism, the sculpture itself has been through hard times. According to the Central Park Conservancy’s website, The Falconer, which was originally sculpted and placed in Central Park in 1875, was badly vandalized in 1957. His falcon stolen and arm missing, The Falconer’s skyward glance seemed sadly nostalgic, and the statue was removed. Twenty-five years later, The Falconer returned to the park with a new arm and falcon.
Second and Third Must-See Sculptures in Central Park: Alice in Wonderland and Balto the Dog
Two of Central Park’s sculptures that children on a visit to New York will enjoy are Alice, of Wonderland fame, and Balto, the dog who recently starred in an animated feature film.
While Lewis Carroll's "Alice" adventures have always been the stuff of fiction, Balto the sled dog had a real-life adventure date during the winter of 1925, when the Alaskan Malamute led a dogsled team carrying life-saving medicine through a brutal snowstorm to Nome, Alaska, to fight a diphtheria epidemic there. The sculpture of Balto was placed in Central Park in 1925 as a tribute to his heroism. Balto is a favorite of Central Park’s sculptures with children, and is located in Central Park’s South End.
Alice, meanwhile, is located in Central Park’s Great Lawn, and rests casually atop a mushroom chatting with her friends the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit. Also included amongst the Alice in Wonderland statue are the dormouse and the Cheshire cat. Inscribed into the granite below Alice and her friends, the sculptor included the first line from Lewis Carroll’s poem, Jabberwocky – apparently a favorite of the sculptor’s wife.
Fourth Must-See Sculpture in Central Park: King Jagiello
Perhaps one of Central Park’s most striking sculptures is that of King Jagiello, a medieval Polish king sitting astride his warhorse and outfitted in chain mail. His arms are raised high in the air, a sword in each hand forming an X above his head. He looks majestic, and ready to conquer his enemies. The historic King Jagiello began as the Grand Duke of Lithuania, who later married the Queen of Poland, uniting the two countries. The sculpture of King Jagiello was not supposed to have a permanent home in Central Park; a visitor for 1939’s World Fair, his native home of Poland was invaded shortly thereafter by Nazi troops. Rather than return to vanquish his foes once again, the King waited out the war in America, and was eventually donated to Central Park by Poland’s government as a symbol of Polish courage during the war years.
Source: Central Park Conservancy Website
