''The Falconer'' is a bronze sculpture in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

George Blackall Simonds George Blackall Simonds (6 October 1843 – 16 December 1929) was an English sculptor and a director of H & G Simonds Brewery in Reading, Berkshire. Biography George was the second son of George Simonds Senior, of Reading, director of H & G ...

. It depicts a man in a theatrical version of

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

dress standing on a high granite pedestal, releasing a hunting

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

. ''The Falconer'', cast in 1871 in Florence, was erected in 1875NYC Dept of Parks: ''The Falconer''
"1872" in Michele H. Bogart, ''Public Sculpture and the Civic Ideal in New York City, 1890–1930'' 1989:19. on a prominent rock overlooking the confluence of Terrace Drive and another carriage drive near the West 72nd Street drive entrance. The growth of surrounding trees has partly obscured the site. The sculpture has a history of being vandalized. The original falcon was stolen, and in the 1960s the New York City Parks Department commissioned their employee and sculptor,

Joel Rudnick Joel Rudnick (June 27, 1936 – June 22, 2025) was an American painter and sculptor. Background Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Rudnick received his initial training as a painter at the Art Students League of New York. He was a protégé of ...

, to mold a new falcon which now sits on The Falconer's arm. This new falcon is substantially different from the original falcon. The arm itself was also re-fashioned by Parks' employee Domenico Facci.

References

External links

NYC Parks Description of ''The Falconer''

1871 sculptures Sculptures by George Blackall Simonds Sculptures of birds in New York (state) Bronze sculptures in Central Park Sculptures in Central Park Statues in New York City Sculptures of men in New York City Vandalized works of art in New York City 1875 establishments in New York (state) Animal sculptures in New York City {{NewYork-sculpture-stub