SYDNEY—An iconic copper fountain by Australian sculptor Gerald Lewers has been stolen from the Penrith Regional Gallery in Sydney, the Australian Associated Press reports. The roughly three-foot-high, 66-pound sculpture had been on the grounds of the Lewers House, the artist's former home and now part of the gallery, for almost 50 years. Gallery staff fear the work, which was valued a few years ago at $20,000 (U.S. $19,000), could be melted down for scrap copper. "We fervently appeal to the better nature of the thieves or anyone who has seen the stolen sculpture to return the work, or call the Penrith police," said gallery curator and manager Anne Loxley in a statement. "We desperately want the fountain back."