Atlas: the largest sculpture at Rockefeller Center

Atlas is a towering bronze statue in the heart of New York City’s Rockefeller Center. Standing across from St. Patrick's Cathedral, this ancient Greek Titan is depicted carrying the heavens on his broad shoulders. Created by sculptor Lee Lawrie, in collaboration with Rene Paul Chambellan, Atlas was cast at the Roman Bronze Works, a subsidiary of the General Bronze Corporation in Corona, Queens. The Roman Bronze Works had long been a sub-contractor to Louis C. Tiffany's Tiffany Studios which was then bought out by the General Bronze Corporation in 1928.

The Roman Bronze Works produced some of its finest bronze artwork from sculptors like Paul Manship, Rene Chambellan, and Lawrie. Atlas, reaching a height of 15 feet for the figure, is in the Art Deco style of Rockefeller Center. In all, the entire statue stands 45 feet tall, weighing a massive 14,000 pounds. He carries the celestial vault on his shoulders.

The north-south axis of the armillary sphere on his shoulders points towards the North Star's position relative to New York City. The statue stands on one muscular leg atop a small stone pedestal, whose corner faces Fifth Avenue. And although many Rainforest Cafe locations may boast a towering Earth globe holder, none come close to Atlas’s heights.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons