SF man unearths 150-pound mystery limestone sculpture in backyard
A San Francisco resident discovered a 150-pound limestone sculpture of a woman while gardening in his backyard. Despite consulting numerous historians and art experts, the origin and creator of the piece remain a mystery.
Why it matters
The discovery represents a unique intersection of domestic life and historical mystery, highlighting the difficulty of identifying provenance for unrecorded art.
A routine gardening project in San Francisco turned into a historical mystery when a local landscape contractor found a 150-pound limestone sculpture buried deep beneath his backyard. Greg Gatwood, 65, was digging in the garden of his Russian Hill home in May when his shovel struck a hard object. Expecting an old wooden fence post footing, he cleared the soil with a pickaxe and discovered a carved limestone bust showing a woman with broad facial features. The sculpture measures 22 inches wide, 18 inches high, and 10 inches deep. It shows a woman's head and neck rising from a solid rectangular base.
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