Greg Gatwood was doing yard work at the couple’s Russian Hill<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Gatwood told Fox News Digital he tried to pry the object loose with a shovel before grabbing a pickaxe \u2014 and then spotted what appeared to be lips and a nose “peering” back at him.<\/p>\n ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS FACE HIDDEN FOR CENTURIES IN BOOK OF REVELATION CITY<\/a><\/p>\n “I thought, well, maybe I should just break it into smaller pieces,” Gatwood said. “Then I realized it was a statue.<\/p>\n “It was like something you see in a movie, almost cinematic, you know \u2014 a big beautiful statue like this.”<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 (Judy Gittelsohn)<\/p>\n Gittelsohn said she was stunned when Gatwood showed her the enormous, two-foot-wide statue \u2014 and was impressed by the quality of its craftsmanship.<\/p>\n “I was just shocked,” she said. “What an enormous find.”<\/p>\n ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER MASSIVE ARTIFACT DEPICTING PHARAOH THOUGHT TO HAVE CHALLENGED MOSES IN EXODUS<\/a><\/p>\n She added, “I was surprised. I was just gobsmacked.”<\/p>\n Three months after their discovery, the couple is still searching for answers.<\/p>\n The couple is searching for answers about the genesis of the mysterious limestone sculpture \u2014 and how it ended up buried in their yard. (Judy Gittelsohn)<\/p>\n 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<\/a> (WPA).<\/p>\n The couple’s home is near the former San Francisco Art Institute, where prominent sculptor Ralph Stackpole taught for decades \u2014 leading Gittelsohn to believe the piece may have a connection to him or one of his students.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Gatwood believes the statue may have been used as garden art and that it was eventually buried with time.<\/p>\n The limestone sculpture weighs about 150 pounds and measures roughly 2 feet wide, according to the San Francisco couple who discovered it. (Judy Gittelsohn)<\/p>\n “It’s quite possible this statue was displayed in the garden and not so much buried, but just lost,” he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/a><\/p>\n The woman \u2014 one of several people who have reached out to the couple since the discovery became public \u2014 told them she had previously held a show featuring Ralph Stackpole’s work.\u00a0<\/p>\n Judy Gittelsohn and Greg Gatwood spoke with Fox News Digital about the mysterious discovery they made in their San Francisco backyard. (Fox News Digital)<\/p>\n In September, the couple plans to put the sculpture on public display at the American Messenger Gallery<\/a> in hopes that someone may recognize the piece or know who created it.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n “We think someone will eventually recognize it,” Gatwood said.<\/p>\n The story of this enormous sculpture comes about a year after a different couple made a mysterious discovery in their backyard as well.\u00a0 (Judy Gittelsohn)<\/p>\n The story comes about a year after a New Orleans<\/a> couple made a similarly mysterious discovery in their backyard.<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SF-RUSSIAN-HILL-MYSTERIOUS-STATUE-ART-HISTORY-ARCHAEOLOGY-DISCOVERY-1.jpg\")
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