Posted on 09/23/2009 1:58:07 PM PDT by potlatch
Rare Artwork by Mount Rushmore Creator
For years, it sat as a paperweight in the home of Jeane Funkhouser. In fact, her daughter, Charlene Mitchell, remembers having to dust under it the entire time she was growing up.
It turns out she was dusting under what may be worth millions of dollars.
For several decades, the Victoria family has been in possession of an extremely rare Steuben Glass George Washington head created by artist Gutzon Borglum, the man behind the Mount Rushmore sculpture.
Funkhouser, also an artist, was given the model as a gift from Borglum's son, Lincoln Borglum, in 1961 after they worked on an art commission together in Kansas.
"There were very few made, if any others than this one," Funkhouser said. "It's very rare."
Now, at 79-years-old and battling cancer, Funkhouser and her family are trying to sell the model of George Washington's head.
"We thought it would be a good idea to sell it. It needs to be somewhere special and not just in someone's living room," Mitchell, the owner of Charlene's Gifts in Victoria, said. "It needs to be somewhere where it will be appreciated. It's a beautiful piece of Americana."
The family has been trying to sell the piece for a year but with no luck. Mitchell said without something to compare it with, appraisers avoid placing a price on it and auction houses have so far only offered around $25,000 for it.
"It's worth millions. It's rare, there's not another one like it, it has great historical value. Steuben Glass itself is very valuable. There are a lot of reasons why it's worth a lot of money," Mitchell added.
The story of the George Washington head begins in 1930, when Borglum contracted with Frederick Carder, designer and carver of Steuben Glass, to produce some small heads from Borglum's models of the presidents, including George Washington, Funkhouser said.
The number of heads made is uncertain, although many more of President Lincoln's head were made since he was Borglum's favorite. The models were made for the purpose of promoting his work to raise the necessary funds for Mount Rushmore, she added.
In 1960, Lincoln Borglum, who also worked on Mount Rushmore under his father, contacted Funkhouser, an up-and-coming mosaic artist, to work with him on a replica of Rushmore for the National Reserve Life Insurance building in Topeka. Upon completion of the project, he gave Funkhouser, who went by the name Jeane Hunt back then, the Washington head, among other gifts, Funkhouser said.
"I had it on my coffee table for years but eventually I had my friend put it in a shadow box and that's where it's been ever since," she added.
Although the Steuben head of George Washington, which is about five inches tall and five inches wide, used to be on display at Charlene's Gifts, it is locked in a safe in Dallas, Mitchell said.
Mitchell is, however, taking serious offers for the piece and it can be shown by appointment.
For more information, contact Mitchell at 361-580-0711.
“’It’s worth millions. It’s rare, there’s not another one like it, it has great historical value. Steuben Glass itself is very valuable. There are a lot of reasons why it’s worth a lot of money,’ Mitchell added.”
It’s worth what the market will pay for it.
Sounds like it’s worth about $25,000.00.
Cool...When I wa a student at Gettysburg College, I had a work-study job in the Special Collections department of the College Library. We had a bronze study Borglum did for the Mt. Rushmore Lincoln, and later gifted to the college...
Something interesting.
It is cool, huh? We never know what treasures we might have sitting around the house!
I hope they get more than that, but who knows?
Lol, at least you didn’t put Obama on it
——and please don’t!!
[You’re a animation maven. I wouldn’t dare]
Well what you posted is pretty darned cute! Thanks, because this isn’t going to be a very popular thread, lol.
Looks like you do pretty well yourself!!
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Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution.an extremely rare Steuben Glass George Washington head created by artist Gutzon BorglumTo all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. |
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When I'd wrapped up my stuff with Lavaca, I was driving back to the airport and passed right by a dozen or so KKK demonstrators - in full Robert Byrd gear.
If you're down that way, look up my old buddy Sam Clegg for me.....I've lost touch - he got out of the fish biz and opened a B and B in the area.
Pretty cool. I just added it and didn’t ping because it’s a modern one, but, as I said, pretty cool!
This has always been a really conservative town but there are wackos everywhere, lol.
If it's the same Sam Clegg that you know, he has been in the “MotorHome” business for many years now. Pretty sure it's the same man but I don't personally know him.
[but, as I said, pretty cool]
Good! That made it worth posting. I hope they get a decent amount if they can sell it in this economy!
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Thanks potlatch
Will check the article out
Strange multiple murders of a family in Illinois on FNC right now
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