7-99 Harding Road
Lake Merced – Sunset District
The sculpture of Carlos III was a gift to the city from King Juan Carlos I of Spain in honor of the Bicentennial of the City of San Francisco.
CARLOS III, KING OF SPAIN
Settler of California, champion of the cause of the American
Independence, who directed Colonel Don Juan Bautista de Anza
to establish a presidio, a mission and a city in San Francisco,
in the year 1776.
Donated by King Juan Carlos I of Spain on the Bicentennial of
the City of San Francisco, 1976.
Federico Coullaut – sculptor
Federico Coullaut-Valera Mendigutia (1912–1989) was a Spanish sculptor. The son of sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut-Valera, he was born in Madrid.
He continued the work begun by his father in the Plaza de España. Coullaut-Valera Mendigutia finished the monument in this square between 1956 and 1957. Another statue of Carlos III by Coullaut-Valera stands in Olvera Street, Los Angeles. It was presented in 1976 and dedicated by Juan Carlos I of Spain and Sofia of Spain in 1987. Carlos had ordered the founding of the town that became Los Angeles.
This statue was relocated from Justin Herman Plaza, along with Juan Bautista de Anza in 2003. At that time he was placed upon a new base. The bronze is 9-1/2 ‘ H x 38 ” W x 44 ” D and weighs approximately 2000 pounds.
There’s a very well known statue of Carlos III on horseback – yes, another equestrian – in the Peurto del Sol, the main square in Madrid, which I have been lucky enough to see.
Such history in your city!
Nice sculpture, fascinating history. It seems to me that most Americans have very little knowledge of our connections with other countries and how we’ve benefited from those connections over the years. I would guess the majority of people in Florida do not know Florida was Spanish territory until 1819.