[Unveiled 1873]
Sculpted: 1868
Sculptor: Emma Stebbins 1815-1882 • USA
Gift of New York City
The definitive crown jewel of Central Park,
is one of the most famous and universally
loved fountains in the world,
Bethesda Fountain. Designed by
Emma Stebbins, the centerpiece of the
"Angel of the Waters" was the only
sculpture commissioned as part of the
original design of the Park naming her
the first woman to receive a commission
for a major work of art in New York City.
Located on the lower level of Bethesda Terrace, this neoclassical
winged female figure symbolizes and
celebrates the purifying of the city’s
water supply when the Croton Aqueduct
opened in 1842 bringing fresh water to
all New Yorkers. For this reason she
carries a lily, the symbol of purity in one
hand while her other hand extends
outward as she blesses the water below.
The stimulus for the idea of the
"Angel of the Waters" comes from the
Gospel of Saint John, Chapter 5, the
story of an angel bestowing healing
powers on the pool of Bethesda in
Jerusalem. Beneath the eight-foot
gilded bronze statue are four smaller
four-foot figures symbolizing Temperance,
Purity, Health, and Peace. The base of
the fountain was designed by Calvert Vaux
with detail work by Jacob Wrey Mould.
