Artwork > All Sculptures, Americana, Mining, Oil & Gas, Townfolk > California Argonaut
California Argonaut
Specifications:
23″H x 9.5″W x 8.5″D
Edition of 30
Price:
$7,800
Scott’s Piece Description
Ever’ once in a while I’ll fancy myself a wordsmith. I love to find examples of yesteryear whereupon just hearing the sound of a word, takes me back in time and feeling. ‘Argonaut’ is one such example, and…..the use of “Californ’y” quickly puts both a time period and a mentality on its user.
Arogonuat: “A person in quest of something dangerous but rewarding, an adventurer.”
Never was a word used more appropriately, in the context of one who left the comforts of hearth and home, often wife and children, to brave a 3000 mile trek on foot or a 14,000 mile sea voyage around Cape Horn, only to reach the long sought destination and face privations, austere living, loneliness and thieves, often at cost of ones life.
Note: The Argonaut Mine, in Jackson, California, was discovered in 1850 and operated until 1942. It reached a vertical depth of 5,570 feet produced 25 million in gold.
Image Gallery
Curator Review
With one hand, he weighs a nugget; with the other, he cradles the battered pan that made the dream real. “California Argonaut” captures the singular hope and grit of the 1849 Gold Rush era, when thousands braved treacherous journeys west in pursuit of sudden fortune. The sculpture’s textured detail—torn clothing, rugged features, worn boots—tells of a man who’s lived every mile of that journey. But there’s a poetry to his pose, a reverence in the gesture. This is not greed—it’s awe. Scott Rogers reminds us that gold wasn’t the only treasure unearthed during that time. The Argonauts helped shape the mythos of the American frontier: resilient, daring, endlessly optimistic. Named after the Greek adventurers who sought the Golden Fleece, these early prospectors likewise chased something elusive, shimmering, and transformative. Rogers’ masterful composition pays tribute to those who staked everything on a glint in the riverbed—and to the unshakable belief that what they held might just change their lives.
Get In Touch
We’ll confirm if this sculpture is available now or reserve your place in the next casting (4–5 months).
Phone: 1.435.469.1646
Email: hello@scottrogerssculpture.com
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