Nearly 100 years ago, Kaiser Wilhelm II took a break from
dealing with the suspicions of England, France and Russia and
commissioned a vase to honor his 20-year reign over Prussia and the
German Empire.
Gilroy – Nearly 100 years ago, Kaiser Wilhelm II took a break from dealing with the suspicions of England, France and Russia and commissioned a vase to honor his 20-year reign over Prussia and the German Empire.
The end of the Great War surely cracked the mustachioed ruler’s government, but the vase remained intact and eventually found its way to the Gilroy Museum thanks to Edwin Driscoll Jr. The former Gilroy resident had acquired it at an auction in Canada and then donated it to the city before he moved in 1975, according to Cathy Mirelez, Gilroy’s cultural arts and museum supervisor.
“Driscoll knew that the vase was worth a lot of money and he wanted to give it to the museum,” said Mirelez, who is working with the Historical Society to auction off the 44-inch tall vase in the spring for an estimated $35,000 to $40,000.
The money will “kick start” the first-ever Gilroy Museum Endowment Trust Fund, Mirelez said, after the City Council’s unanimous approval Aug. 6.
The idea to sell the ceramic creation came after the museum’s interior renovation in 2000, Mirelez said, whereupon city staff and historical society members combed through museum pieces and talked about removing “irrelevant historical items, duplicates and artifacts in poor condition.”
“There aren’t any other items slated for sale yet,” Mirelez said of the museum’s first-ever house-cleaning efforts in 2000 that lasted six consecutive weeks. “But the revised museum policy states that items displayed and housed in the museum need to be associated with the history of Gilroy.”
Mirelez said Driscoll, who could not be reached for comment, “agreed whole-heartedly” to the auction since his original intent was for the vase to contribute to the overall wealth of the museum, fiscal or otherwise.
After the establishment of the trust fund, the city will become the primary trustee of the account, which could grow from future donations. The Historical Society, chaired by Connie Rogers, will serve an advisory role when it comes to spending the fund, and Mirelez said she anticipates the money going to special exhibits and events or toward the purchase of artifacts from other museums and individuals.
“It’s just a wonderful project,” Mirelez said. “I love working in close collaboration with the historical society.”
