Yarb Woman (bronze, 1980)
Elfriede Abbe ‘40
Location: Botanic Gardens Herb Garden

This sculpture, commissioned and gifted by the Auraca Herbarists represents women who are knowledgeable about herbs and their uses, particularly those with medicinal properties. Women have long been practitioners of herbal medicine and the sculpture depicts a woman stooping to gather herbs (“Yarb” means herb in Old English) and embodying all those – past, present, and future, who seek herbal wisdom.

The sculpture was originally placed at the North end of the Robison York State Herb Garden under a crabapple tree. Over the decades the patina on the statue had become severely corroded due to acid from the crabapples which fell on her. In 2019, the sculpture was restored and relocated to the south corner of the Ornamental Herb Border where she welcomes visitors to the Herb Garden.

Elfriede Abbe (1919-2012) was the sculptor for this work. She graduated from Cornell’s College of Architecture in 1940 with a BFA in sculpture.