Guardians of the Gate, Bronze sculpture at Pier 39 in San Francisco, United States
Guardians of the Gate is a bronze sculpture at Pier 39 showing three sea lions: two adults and a pup cast together. The figures are made from Everdur bronze and capture a natural family moment.
Miles Metzger created the sculpture in 1990 and dedicated it to the waterfront area. The Smithsonian Institution recorded the work in 1992 as part of its outdoor sculpture documentation program.
Metzger said the family of sea lions "seemed such a beautiful, emotional moment," and he chose the subject once he learned the pier's owner had commissioned the piece. Visitors often sit on the bronze base to pose for photographs, as the sculptor noted in 2012.
The sculpture stands on a paved surface northwest of Pier 39, next to the Embarcadero Center. Visitors can walk right up to it and sit on the tiered bronze base, where the rounded stones are set in. The polished heads, backs and flippers show where hands and bodies have worn the metal smooth.
Metzger said in 2012 that many people told him it was among the most photographed sculptures in the United States, and that visitors often sit on the bronze to have their picture taken.
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