The Sculptor and the Angel: The Untold Story of Emma Stebbins

The Gilded Gentleman

In this episode, journalist and biographer Maria Teresa Cometto joins The Gilded Gentleman for a look into the life of New York-born 19th-century sculptor Emma Stebbins. Emma Stebbins is most noted for her iconic bronze statue, The Angel of the Waters, which was placed on Central Park's Bethesda Terrace in 1873. Maria Teresa Cometto is the author of the recently published "Emma and the Angel of Central Park", the first extensive biographical look at Stebbins' life.

Many locals and visitors may be aware of parts of the story of Emma Stebbins - that her Angel was the first public statue in New York produced by a woman and that her life included a domestic partnership with another woman. But there is much more in the story. This is the story of a creative artistic woman whose life, which began in early 19th-century New York, expanded and flourished in a community of fellow artists and sculptors in mid-century Rome.

This is a very Italian story in many ways, set against the backdrop of the ruins, museums, and palaces of classical Rome. Emma's story includes love, betrayal, inspiration, tragedy, and even a bit of mystery. Her most well known creation, the famed Angel of the Waters, while perhaps her most significant work, is indeed only part of the story.