Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, New York

Built in 1902 (Robert W. Gibson), this is one of the finest botanical libraries in the world.  The Lillian Goldman Fountain of Life features a joyful sea nymph and a pair of heroic seahorses pulling a seashell chariot through the crest of a wave. As cherubic attendants struggle to control the beasts, a startled mermaid and merman hurry out of the way. The heroic composition epitomizes the Beaux Arts aesthetic at the end of the 19th century in New York. The sculpture is an ideal complement to the Library Building, which was designed by architect Robert Gibson in the Beaux Arts style.