150-pound mystery unearthed in San Francisco couple's backyard
San Francisco residents Greg Gatwood and Judy Gittelsohn revealed to Fox News Digital that they discovered a mysterious 150-pound stone sculpture buried in their backyard.
A couple in San Francisco recently unearthed a 150-pound limestone sculpture buried in their backyard — setting off a search to uncover who created it and how it got there.
Greg Gatwood was doing yard work at the couple's Russian Hill home in May when he came across what he initially thought was a piece of concrete buried in the ground as his partner Judy Gittelsohn stood nearby.
Gatwood told Fox News Digital he tried to pry the object loose with a shovel before grabbing a pickaxe — and then spotted what appeared to be lips and a nose "peering" back at him.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS FACE HIDDEN FOR CENTURIES IN BOOK OF REVELATION CITY
"I thought, well, maybe I should just break it into smaller pieces," Gatwood said. "Then I realized it was a statue.
"It was like something you see in a movie, almost cinematic, you know — a big beautiful statue like this."
A San Francisco couple was stunned to uncover a 150-pound limestone sculpture buried in the backyard of their Russian Hill home. Greg Gatwood is shown at right brushing off the sculpture. (Judy Gittelsohn)
Gittelsohn said she was stunned when Gatwood showed her the enormous, two-foot-wide statue — and was impressed by the quality of its craftsmanship.
"I was just shocked," she said. "What an enormous find."
ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER MASSIVE ARTIFACT DEPICTING PHARAOH THOUGHT TO HAVE CHALLENGED MOSES IN EXODUS
She added, "I was surprised. I was just gobsmacked."
Three months after their discovery, the couple is still searching for answers.
The couple is searching for answers about the genesis of the mysterious limestone sculpture — and how it ended up buried in their yard. (Judy Gittelsohn)
Gittelsohn, a professional artist, said she researched the sculpture. She believes it dates to the 1930s and may be connected to artists working under the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
The couple's home is near the former San Francisco Art Institute, where prominent sculptor Ralph Stackpole taught for decades — leading Gittelsohn to believe the piece may have a connection to him or one of his students.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
One clue supporting that theory, she said, is that the sculpture was carved from relatively inexpensive limestone rather than costlier materials such as marble or granite.
Gatwood believes the statue may have been used as garden art and that it was eventually buried with time.
The limestone sculpture weighs about 150 pounds and measures roughly 2 feet wide, according to the San Francisco couple who discovered it. (Judy Gittelsohn)
"It's quite possible this statue was displayed in the garden and not so much buried, but just lost," he said.
After the couple received local attention for their find, Gittelsohn said a 93-year-old woman took an Uber to their home with her walker and knocked on their door.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The woman — one of several people who have reached out to the couple since the discovery became public — told them she had previously held a show featuring Ralph Stackpole's work.
Judy Gittelsohn and Greg Gatwood spoke with Fox News Digital about the mysterious discovery they made in their San Francisco backyard. (Fox News Digital)
In September, the couple plans to put the sculpture on public display at the American Messenger Gallery in hopes that someone may recognize the piece or know who created it.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS
"We think someone will eventually recognize it," Gatwood said.
The story of this enormous sculpture comes about a year after a different couple made a mysterious discovery in their backyard as well. (Judy Gittelsohn)
The story comes about a year after a New Orleans couple made a similarly mysterious discovery in their backyard.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
At the time, Daniella Santoro and Aaron Lorenz unearthed an ancient Roman funerary artifact that had been missing from an Italian museum for decades.
