Marble rhino ready to roll to the Country Club where it will meet its new owner
The marble rhino parked in front of the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre near the centre of Windhoek has just spent his first weekend as a completed work of art. On Friday, its French-made, 3-metre, 3-segment horn was placed, making this unique artwork whole.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Dr Malan Lindeque witnessed the unveiling of this once-in-a-lifetime creation.
From its makeshift stand at the FNCC, the stone rhino will be moved to the Windhoek Country Club Resort where, on Thursday evening, 31 August, it will become the property of its new proud owner. The statue is currently being auctioned through an on-line auction that will be concluded on Thursday evening.
The stylised rhino statue is the brainchild of a group of professional hunters, all members of the Namibian Professional Hunting Association, who decided to run a dedicated fundraiser to help with the protection and conservation of Namibia’s wild rhinos.
Following a very successful fundraiser two years ago, the pros decided to go one level up when they commissioned French sculptor, Gé Pellini to reduce a nine-tonne block of marble within one month to a stylised likeness of a rhino that can be transported, auctioned and moved to its final resting place chosen by its new owner.
“Gé Pellini completed his marvelous piece of art and his friends David and Christelle Deflin sponsored the aluminium horn that was fitted to our rhino today. The horn is a full 3 metres in length and was made in France” said the professional hunting association when they announced Pellini has made the deadline with six days to spare.
“Most of us watched the sculpting grow from a mere drawing, then formed and chiseled into a magnificent marble wonder over the last four weeks. What started as a bright idea ended in a marvelous accomplishment, a truly unique Namibian hand-crafted piece of art. We thank everyone involved from the bottom of our hearts for making this project possible” stated the hunting association.
