Detail of the Gate to the Children's Zoo in Central Park, May 2011

The Lehman Gates were donated by Governor and Mrs. Herbert H. Lehman in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary upon the opening of the Tisch Children's Zoo in 1961. Designed by Paul Manship, the sculptor of one of the more elaborate gates at the Wildlife Conservation Center in the Bronx (the Bronx Zoo), the animals, birds, and boys are interwoven in a fanciful scrolling lintel.

The main figure in the center depicts a dancing boy, flanked by two dancing goats. The music is provided by two other boys positioned over the end posts, playing panpipes. Between the human figures is a curlicue of vegetation interwoven with birds, which appear to have just alighted. The whole composition is a lovely commentary on the interaction between children and animals, fitting for the zoo entrance.

Text from: www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/lehm...