Lotus Fountain by Abastenia St. Leger Eberle (1878-1942)
In 1918, Antoinette Lapham, the founder of Waveny, commissioned the female bronze sculptor Abastenia St. Leger Eberle to create the Lotus Fountain to adorn the small lily pond as the centerpiece of the carefully designed formal gardens. This fountain is unique in Eberle’s oeuvre, since she did not focus at all on garden commissions, unlike some female contemporaries, and produced only one other small fountain and a handful of decorative works. Commissioned by wealthy patrons, such decorative projects did though help to financially support her genuine interest, which was the depiction of lower-class immigrant women and children at work and play on the Lower East Side of New York.
Recently, the fountain was beautifully restored by the Tatti Studio in New York thanks to the generous donation of Susan and Bill Brock. The restoration involved calcium removal using a gelled solution to soften the deposits, followed by steam, pressured water, and blunted skewers to completely remove the deposits. Then a protective micro-crystalline wax, specifically designed for outdoor bronzes, was applied. And finally, the functionality of the spouting frogs at the base was restored!
Waveny Park Conservancy
Waveny Park Conservancy is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Waveny Park Conservancy
PO Box 944
New Canaan, CT 06840
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