A month ago, a new dealer (let's call him Pedro) arrived at the house bearing an unusual item. It was a large terracotta pottery typical of Philippine Iron Age artifacts. I assumed it was based on whatever limited knowledge I had with the subject of Philippine precolonial pottery. So little reading materials!
Pedro said that this jar or kendi was found in an island famous for precolonial potteries. I believe so famous that an author said that it should have its own "complex" like the Novaliches or the Kalanay complex.
Pedro then continued his spiel- that a group of local men found this item along with broken pottery shards underneath an uprooted coconut tree. This may be a funerary vessel, indeed.
So I asked him that this could be a fake since most of the pottery from that island are simple in designs (e.g. Chevron) and shape. I don't think they ever had a concept of what a kendi was since a kendi would originally be from the Indian subcontinent. I even planted seeds of doubt that maybe some enterprising local knew about the craze for antique pottery and indulged himself in recreating antique copies to make a quick profit.
Pedro was aghast that I would make such an accusation. Never in his life did he try to peddle fakes, so he claimed.
I chimed, "But I only saw you today. How on earth will I know you're not selling fake goods?" It was a tug-of-war between us- me casting suspicion on his antiques, him denying it to the core.
Pedro quipped, "This is not fake. It's Thai made"
My eyebrows crinkled. "Thai? How could this be Thai? The only precolonial Thai pottery is Ban Chiang while the rest are mostly glazed like Sukhothai and Sawankhalok. Not this terracotta kendi!" I was confident in my aspersion.
"You're wrong. I know this comes from Thailand," his voice hardened.
He defended his sellers saying that they're just poor fisherfolk who don't know anything about antiques. Pedro had a point. People wouldn't dream of mastering the intricacies of precolonial pottery and design just to make a few bucks in an otherwise buyer's market. It's really illogical. Potters here would rather make pots for cooking rather than this gamble. Probably not local potters, but perhaps they abound in China where the Communist natives are very enterprising when it comes to making fake porcelain then exporting it to gullible collectors. Sadly, fake Ming wares are already flooding the market.
Of course, I have to keep a poker face. Despite the twinkle in my eye, I had to reign in my lustful gaze. I asked Pedro how much.
"Ten thousand Pesos," he coyly replied.
My eyelids fluttered in awe. "No one in his right mind would buy it for such an amount. It's simply too much. I wouldn't buy it even in perfect condition. And yours is already damaged goods. Look at the haphazard restoration!"
"But you'll never have another item like this," he hissed. "Last year another kendi was found on the same island with an elephant stamped design and it sold for 30,000 Pesos!" The then proceeded to name-drop several local collectors who are also collecting antique pottery.
"Well then, you ought to bring this item to them! They may very well pay far higher than what I will offer you. Besides, I don't need another rare pottery that I cannot sell. I would rather fund my next Piso-fare Korea trip than spend on antiques." I had to make him realize that I won't be bothered by his usual seller's tricks.
It came to a point when I was already fed up by our mercantile debate that I stood up and showed him the way to the gate. As I opened it slightly, Pedro suddenly pleaded that P10,000 can be negotiated. I said, how much are the sellers willing to sell? He said they don't know how much. He added that they merely found it and brought it over for him to repair and sell. It was already broken when they brought it to him.
I said, "since there's no capital involved, I can only offer you P2000 and P500 for commission."
Pedro wavered. He tried to up the price.
I added, "I changed my mind. P1000 for them and P500 for you. Take it or leave it."
His face was ashen and his jaw slacked. He was about to catch the sword with his hands. "Ok. I'll take it. I'm giving it to you for so cheap, so you're lucky to have it." I was thinking, he may have egged those poor fisherfolk with untold riches fleeced from rich foolish collectors. Unfortunate for him it was not to his liking. I believe after all those shopping trips abroad, the main skill anyone would eventually develop is the art of bargaining.
Several nights after that episode, I brought out my book so as to read on Precolonial pottery and found out that in my ignorance, I pummeled the antique dealer to a pulp. I felt bad arguing with Pedro when all along his argument was correct.
BOOK #1:
This is my "bible" for antique Philippine pottery. Even though it was originally published as a museum catalog, the people behind this book gave so much detailed yet brief information encompassing the entire breadth of Philippine Iron Age pottery that it has transcended its original purpose to become a go-to resource when it comes to Philippine precolonial ceramics. Kudos to these unsung heroes!
Edwin Bautista is the author of this chapter-essay on this enigmatic island. He was succint, concise and inquisitive in his opinions about this kind of pottery, even though literature can be scant.
He wrote about several pottery from island that are Thai in origin. Does this mean that the Philippines' first trade contact is not from China, but from Thailand?
BOOK #2:
I then proceeded to read J.C. Shaw's "Introducing Thai Ceramics Also Burmese and Khmer" (Thailand, 1988). He further corroborated what E. Bautista wrote in the Pang-alay volume by touching on the Dvaravati era of Thai ceramics.
