March 24, 2016
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens:
To be honest, there isn't a lot of horticultural news to share, so here is some very interesting history.
Wallace Mersereau, a friend of the Conservancy in California, tells us that Walter Schott, a leading German sculptor in the early 20th century, was a good friend of the American dancer Isadora Duncan. Around 1901, he made some small sculptures of the dancing Isadora.
Schott was also the sculptor around 1910 of the Three Dancing Maidens, the beautiful bronze sculpture that Samuel Untermyer bought on a trip to Berlin. It first stood in the main entrance fountain at Greystone, his mansion in Yonkers. After his death, his children gave it to the City of New York in 1947, and it is a highlight of the Conservatory Garden in Central Park.
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens:
To be honest, there isn't a lot of horticultural news to share, so here is some very interesting history.
Wallace Mersereau, a friend of the Conservancy in California, tells us that Walter Schott, a leading German sculptor in the early 20th century, was a good friend of the American dancer Isadora Duncan. Around 1901, he made some small sculptures of the dancing Isadora.
Schott was also the sculptor around 1910 of the Three Dancing Maidens, the beautiful bronze sculpture that Samuel Untermyer bought on a trip to Berlin. It first stood in the main entrance fountain at Greystone, his mansion in Yonkers. After his death, his children gave it to the City of New York in 1947, and it is a highlight of the Conservatory Garden in Central Park.
 |  |
In 1923 and again in 1932, the Isadora Duncan Dancers performed at two parties at Untermyer Gardens. How coincidental that the human dancers, holding hands and in a circle in 1923, strongly resemble the bronze figures in the fountain! Look closely in the foreground of this party and you will see them. Was Schott portraying Isadora Duncan's dancers in his sculpture?
Construction continues at the gardens. We expect that the Temple of Love will open to the public on June 1, so put that on your calendar. This work and the mile-long deer fence are the highlights of our ongoing restoration. Here are the two men responsible for the fine work: Frank Cipriani of King Fence and Kevin Cotter of Glencar Water Gardens.
The garden's underground clock is ticking. Pretty soon thousands of bulbs will be blooming!
Until then,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Until then,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
RSS Feed