The finer pursuit of Philippine art, culture, and history with Salcedo Auctions

What becomes of the treasures of Philippine art, history, and culture when you gather them in a single venue? For Salcedo Auctions, they become an indulgence for your finer pursuits—a chance to hold a piece of Filipino identity and ingenuity upon the strike of the hammer.

Written by Chesca Santiago
June 2, 2023

Salcedo Auctions offers you significant works of Philippine artistry with the live and online auction Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles, happening on 3 June 2023, 2 p.m. at NEX Tower, Ayala Avenue, Makati City. The auction held an exclusive preview last 25 May 2023, where it unveiled highlights from its massive 200-lot collection of precious Philippine fine art, furniture, ethnographic art, pre-colonial gold jewelry, ecclesiastical paraphernalia, and other valuable collectibles, including prints, maps, and ephemera.

The Pursuit of Artistic Brilliance

Headlining Finer Pursuits are works by powerhouses of Philippine art, from classical, modern, and contemporary periods. The star of the auction is National Artist Ang Kiukok’s Man and Dog (1975), estimated at Php 20,000,000 - 25,000,000. With an illustrious exhibition history accompanying the masterpiece, Salcedo Auctions considers Man and Dog as a slight deviation from Kiukok’s usual renderings of angst—a show of tenderness amid the rigidity of his lines and colors.

Ang Kiukok’s Man and Dog (left) beside Fabian de la Rosa’s Portrait of Maxima Casas and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s presumed study of “Columbia” (1901) during the preview of Finer Pursuits.

Joining Ang Kiukok in Finer Pursuits are other modern masters of Philippine art, including H.R. Ocampo, Arturo Luz, Nena Saguil, and Cesar Legaspi.

Also showcased in the auction are rarely-seen masterpieces from the biggest names of Philippine classical and academic art, such as Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Fernando Amorsolo, and Fabian de la Rosa. Notable is Juan Luna’s Untitled (Phantasmagoria), dated c. 1885-1890. Depicting figures different from Luna’s best-known works, this oil and watercolor on paper is filled with fantastical beings—bat-like creatures and witch-like women included—that still remains true to his nationalist activist intentions.

Juan Luna’s ​​Untitled (Phantasmagoria) featuring fantastical creatures that shed nationalist commentary on Philippine society during the Spanish colonial period. Image courtesy of Salcedo Auctions.

For the auction’s contemporary art lots, constituting the collection are leading figures of today’s art scene. Works by artists including Ronald Ventura, Emmanuel Garibay, Mark Justiniani, Poklong Anading, and Ramon Orlina comprise the lots to demonstrate the dynamism of the Philippine contemporary art scene. Mark Justiniani’s oil on wood Gayuma (1997) stands out as a surrealist exploration steeped in the magic of Filipino folkloric traditions.

Mark Justiniani’s Gayuma (left) and Onib Olmedo’s Untitled (Still Life with Flowers) as seen in the auction preview.

Ramon Orlina’s Diaphanous Eve III also unveiled at the auction preview.

The Pursuit of History

Aside from the auction’s prominent collection of fine art, also dominating the lots are rare furniture and artifacts of paramount significance to Philippine history. Most striking is an 18k excavated gold necklace dated c. 800-1500 AD from Butuan, Samar, fetching an estimated price of Php 580,000 - 620,000. The necklace is composed of multiple intricate strands lined at the bottom with trumpet loops.

18k excavated gold necklace from c. 800 - 1500 AD. Image courtesy of Salcedo Auctions.

Another remarkable lot is a sandalwood four-poster ‘Sunflower’ bed originating from the estate of then-Lucban mayor Don Vedasto Cadeliña. Crafted in the early 1900s with an exquisitely carved floral motif, it was previously placed in the master bedroom as the matrimonial bed on which former President of the Philippines Manuel L. Quezon and his wife would rest during their official visits to Lucban.

A sandalwood four-poster ‘Sunflower’ bed used by former President of the Philippines Manuel L. Quezon.

The Pursuit of Culture

Finally, a sizable portion of the auction is constituted by ethnographic art from several ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines. Altogether, they illustrate the diverse richness of Philippine living culture and the superiority of Filipino craftsmanship that transcends islands, seas, and mountains.

A 20th-century decorative sailing vessel from Mindanao, made of Yakal wood, brass, shell and coin inlay.

From archaeological finds as early as 800 AD to works of renowned living artists, Salcedo Auctions’ Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles is a testament to the power of Filipino artistry which transcends time and space. The finer pursuits of Philippine art, culture, and history are yours to take home—after the sound of the gavel, of course.