Spring Angels, Flowers, and Beautiful Vistas

My husband and I were at Brooklyn, New York's historic, 172 year old Green-Wood Cemetery again this weekend, taking part in a volunteer session where we are assisting the cemetery to remove important papers regarding each grave plot from their storage in envelopes and then placing them into archival quality folders to help preserve them for the future.  Whenever we finish our work we take a stroll through some of the 478 acres of beautiful hilly grounds, and I take photographs. The photo mosaic above (all photos can be seen enlarged by clicking on them) is of some of  the many angel monuments and other statuary.

Spring flowers and blossoming trees were in evidence everywhere in the cemetery, as you can see by this photo mosaic.  Robins were plentiful and hard at work looking for bugs to eat.

While walking on one of the highest hills of the cemetery I was excited to spot a famous statue in the distance outside of the Gothic Arches of the cemetery's 5th Ave entrance.  Can you see it?

A closer view -- look to the right.

It is the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor!

From another hill in the cemetery there is another pretty vista that can be seen through the branches of a flowering cherry tree.

It is a distant view of the Empire State building in Manhattan.   It was really a lovely day to enjoy the Spring weather and all the rebirth of nature.  I hope you spent your weekend in an equally wonderful way!

I'm linking this post to Mary at The Little Red House blog's Mosaic Monday event.  Please visit Mary today to see her pretty mosaic and links to blogs with many more!

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Resurrection Angel at Green-Wood Cemetery

This stunningly beautiful angel in the photo mosaic above is a bronze memorial on top of a substantial granite base, of a grave identified only by the name "Valentine."  It is one of the approximately 106,000 monuments in the National Historic Landmark Green-Wood Cemetery located in Brooklyn, New York, which was establised in the year 1838.

(all photos will enlarge when clicked on)

The angel was sculpted by the Italian born artist Adolfo Apolloni, (1855 - 1923), who sculpted several other funerary monuments, found both in the United States and Italy. His name appears on the eastern side of the base of the angel, along with the word "Roma"

One of his better known sculptures is Winged Victory on the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome.
The base of the angel also identifies that it was made at "G. Nisini Fuse" which is deemed as one of Italy's finest 19th century bronze foundries.

The words "Ego Sum Resurrectio Et Vita" are inscribed in the granite base, and translated from Latin as "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

The "G. Nisini Fuse" inscription at the western facing base of the angel.

The angel is exquisite!  Notice the realistic detail of the feathers in her wings and the delicate draping of her gauzy robes.

A view of the back of the angel's flowing robes.

Her expressive face, with eyes turned upward, and arms outstretched with open fingers, displays such a uplifting feeling of grace and motion!  It is truly a valuable work of art worthy of being in the finest museum, and is one of my favorite sculptures among many beautiful ones in the cemetery.

 I thought it's beauty and message of Ressurection would be perfect for Easter week's "Mosaic Monday."  Please visit Mary at The Little Red House blog today to view her lovely Easter mosaic and see the list of links to all the blogs that are participating in the weekly event.