Chesapeake Bay Living: Norfolk Botanical Gardens Part 3

Rembrandt

Written by Michelle Davenport & Elizabeth Kimball

As mentioned before in an earlier post, there is so much to see at the Norfolk Botanical gardens that it needed to be broken up into more than one blog post.

So once again we'll take a look at that little oasis in the middle of the city.

The Statuary Vista is a unique outdoor sculpture gallery set in a 400-foot long double border garden stretching from the back of Renaissance Court to the edge of Lake Whitehurst. 

Peter Paul Reubens

This is one of the few shady perennial gardens at Norfolk Botanical Garden and each 14-foot wide, 400-foot long display bed is packed with a variety of bulbs, perennials and annuals. Set against the deep green backdrop of clipped Holly Olive hedges, the statues, flowers and foliage create a beautiful display.
What a beautiful venue!

Da Vinci

This would be a the perfect site for a small wedding.  The long center isle and beautiful cobblestone steps would make for wedding photos that any bride would be proud to have.

It features eleven, seven-foot tall statues carved from Cararra marble by Sir Moses Ezekiel in Rome between 1879 and 1884 for William Wilson Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. These statues were originally designed to be set in second-story niches in the Corcoran Gallery. They depict notable painters and sculptors: Antonio Canova, Thomas Crawford, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Michelangelo, Bartolome Murillo, Phidias, Raphael, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens and Titian. The majority of the statues were donated to the Garden in 1962 and 1963 by Richmond residents Bruce Dunstan and Vincent Speranza.

Michelangelo

The only American artist featured is Thomas Crawford, who created the statue for the dome of the U.S. Capitol.

This is a lovely and quiet spot if you're looking for a moment to yourself to center yourself.

Thomas Crawford

We've only included a few of the statues, so if you want to see them all...  Well I bet you know what to do!

About the author: Michelle Davenport is the author of “Second Chances at East Beach” in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her story “Tag!  You’re Dead” will be in Volume II, to be published in 2017.  For more information on Michelle, please visit her website.

About the author: Elizabeth S. Kimball is the author of “The Gatlins Come to East Beach” which will be published in Volume II of By the Bay: East Beach Stories in 2017.