Santos Series 02: Santo Nino

Sto. Ninos, as carved wooden antiques, are hard to come by.  This one has been with my family since our house was built.  Though the texture of the carving is somewhat similar to 19th century, I suspect this was done during before or right after the war.  The face (cara) and both hands are finely made by skilled artisans who I suspect were under the famous Maximo Vicente school.  The cape and the base is of heavy dark wood probably ironwood.  This is all speculation and intuition.

I won't probably sell this for sentimental reason since this piece reminds me of family.  There are just some objects that you want to cherish because it reminds you of a period in life where happiness and love prevailed. 

A Thought on Precolonial Philippine Pottery

I was going through this blog and I noticed that the most-read entry was about the iron age/pre-colonial Philippine funerary pottery.  I guess a lot of people are indeed interested in something so mysterious and so unknown.

Back in school, Philippine history curriculum would generally start during the era of Magellan and Pigafetta as if their arrival heralded our own origins.  Such a notion belies the fact that we do have a civilization before the Spaniards- one that has a written language in the form of the baybayin script and a well-developed artistic expression. They simply disappeared when Spanish priests burned almost all of the remaining objects like anitos and bamboo manuscripts.  Anyhow, it's simply sad that we as a nation has passively chosen to exclude our pre-colonial past- a timeline that may well have extended back to the days of the Srivijayan and Madjapahit empires.

These pottery, excavated from the islands of the interior, are a stark reminder of that lost civilization, one that predates the the Age of Contact. They are here with us now because they can neither degrade nor decompose with the march of time.   Yet, even if they do see the light of day with a handful of collectors scrambling over them, not a lot of Filipinos covet them.  Maybe because they look ordinary and utilitarian as compared with the gorgeous Swatow wares from China or the green celadon plates from Thailand.  Really, which of the two would scream Old Rich? A roomful of Blue & White wares or a roomful of precolonial pottery?

 A lot of collectors are familiar with the Age of Contact because there are many objects imported from ceramic-producing states like China, Annam, and Siam. Hence, the quantity helped fuel the passion in this field for they have been quite accessible.

The irony with collectors is that we tend to celebrate, study and analyze the excavated ceramic finds of imported wares and spout off expert opinions on mundane details like their ceramic glazes as if we were Roxanna Brown, but we are faced with a blank wall if we are asked about lifestyle and history of the native Filipinos who used them.  Moreso, we collectors are faced with a bigger blank wall when faced with indigenous precolonial iron-age pottery (apart from the Maitum anthropomorphic artifacts).  These pots should have been given a larger share of attention because these are evidence of our early Philippine civilization. These are our own, not imported from some highly developed civilization. Hence, they must be studied intensively.   There are several highly specialized books on its archaeology like the recently published tome on the Lemery diggings. Seriously, it would take more than this handful of books to spark a frenzy, or at least an interest, among newbie antique collectors. Seriously people.

Harringtons Lifestyle Auction - June 2015

Harringtons Lifestyle Auction invites you to an afternoon of Fine Arts and Collectibles.  Featuring paintings by some of our top Filipino Artists, Unique Memorabilias, Sculpture, Furniture, Watches and Antiquities. 

The event promises a wide assortment of items to find and treasure. 

Preview and Registration on going

Auction:  June 27 at 1:00pm onwards

Jose Algue's Atlas de Filipinas

From the blurb of Lot.847 from Old World Auctions, it describes the atlas as such:

 A hard to find, superbly detailed and beautifully colored atlas with two title pages, the first in Spanish; "Atlas de Filipinas Coleccion de 30 Mapas" with attribution to Jose Algue (Director del Observatorio de Manila), and the second, with an introduction by Henry S. Pritchett, is titled "Atlas of the Philippine Islands", and is GPO Special Publication No. 3. With four pages of tables followed by an extensive 17 page index of place names, this example is a mine of information. There are 30 full-page maps published by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, but printed with Spanish titles, and each is presented in eye-catching full color.

The nice thing about catalogs is that the level of description is quite high. Yes, the same atlas can fetch as much as $450 in some auction houses and local collectors love to disbound it and sell individual maps for such a high price. Know that such colonial paper artifacts are quite rare to come by in its native Philippines because of the humidity, heat, mildew that can wreck a perfectly nice map.  Also, loss brought about by war and disinterest added to the scarcity of the atlas.  This is why I cannot fault sellers making a killing by selling a single map to someone from that area.  I saw someone from Ebay trying to sell a piece for $35-50.  My golly. So the best bet is to get it overseas.

I got a couple copies of the atlas in such a poor state. However, being in a poor state does not mean the maps are affected.  There may be scuffings on the cover, a slight waterstain on the frontispiece and discoloration on the back but the maps are all immaculately preserved.  Do not bother buying a full set if there are foxings, mildews or crap affecting the maps themselves. I thinks it's worth next to nothing. Get one that's clean.

 I love this atlas acutally. Thank you, Fr. Algue for the effort.  All the pieces are collectible, scarce but not rare, and since they are in Spanish (though published in the US), they lend a nice Hispanic colonial air to it. 

Looking through the maps, one would see towns and villages that we all knew.  I have looked at the Cavite area and some villages that were printed on the map have already been gobbled up by towns rendering them quasi-invisible. Also you will enjoy looking at the Spanish routes and roads especially at the absence of such in the Cordillera region.  You will learn the old names of provinces that have been broken up or renamed.  This atlas is such a joy to read even if half of it is already lost to the ashes of history.

If you're into Filipiniana, this is a must in your collection.

A Celadon Jarlet

This small celadon jarlet is one of many found here in South East Asia. They are reasonably priced and highly collectible.They were export pieces previously laden with medicines, balms and expensive oils. According to the writings of Roxanna M. Brown and the artifacts of Sten Sjostrand, these ceramics were exported from Southern China during the Song to the Interregnum period. According to Sten Sjostrand in his site, he stated that “their low-fired celadon glaze consists of 1.2-1.5% iron oxides that turn green during reduction-atmosphere firing.  If sufficient temperature was not achieved, the iron oxide would accumulate on the surface in the form of iron crystals.” Such examples turned out in vast quantities in Sjostrand’s salvage of the Royal Nanhai wreck (1400-1500). And here in the Philippines, they're quite common among collectors and antique shops.

As for the retail price? Cheap to quite reasonable. Collectivity? Highly. Imagine if you have a wall or cabinet full of these little morsels of history.  It would definitely be the highlight of your home.

Antique Decanters

As long as I could remember, my mother has these three antique glass decanters. The other two I purchased from my local antique dealer.  Anyway, these wine/sherry decanters are a mystery to me.  Are they Spanish in origin? Central European perhaps? The green one is in fact uranium glass. I checked it with a portable black light. Pity it has a hole on the side.

One (see 1st photo) has a YOMEIGO marking on the base. It must have been a Japanese manufacturer from the Taisho or Showa period.  The other one has a HERMANN - HAMBURG mark presumably Germanic in origin.

These bottles must have been imported during the end of the 19th century all the way to the 1950s, many from the prewar period.  I surmise these were the tipple containers of choice for the bourgeoisie (in Filipino, "burgis") especially during the heyday of the American colonial period (1898-1946) wherein the middle and upper class Filipinos were able to enjoy imported goods in such unhindered quantities.

If you can imagine hacienderos in tuxedos in their Art Deco manors quaffing their vinos and brandy de jerez and smoking Tabacalera cigars during the annual cotillion watching Filipinas in butterfly-sleeved ternos, then you can imagine how these decanters were used during those times. Think Oro, Plata, Mata.

This is the uranium decanter in the collection.  This must have been produced during the 20s and 30s during the era of Depression glass because uranium or vaseline glass virtually disappeared at the start of WWII.

As for the value of these decanters, there's no hard and fast rule since there's barely a club that specializes on this type of artifact. If anyone knows, or would like to offer theirs, send me an email. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

A Duo of Chinese Brownwares

 

 A few weeks ago, I spotted a couple of Chinese brownwares in a non-descript antique store here in my city.  I knew they were exhibited in a group show a few months back because I recognized them quite easily.  I guess they were not fast movers as compared to modern reproductions and Ming Blue and White wares.  These were more humble in form but contemporary in bearing.  Having blue and whites are great, but they exude an atmosphere of past generations meaning it’s kind of old school and “la Buena familia”.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Ming blue and white export ware, except having so many would make your house look like an old spinster’s closet.  As for brown ware, these have a utilitarian appeal.  Monochromatic in palette, simple in design and yet collecting these would make any kitchen or sala (living or receiving room) look contemporary.  If you have an apartment, they would look stunning especially if you have a grouping of small pieces be they jarlets, bowls or kendis.  However, if you want a more sophisticated but muted effect, I would suggest you delve into Celadon wares.

 I worked out a deal with the owner and after receiving discounts I was able to take home these two items.  The jar in question is small brown-glazed artifact, with a rounded rim, with four lugs on the jar’s shoulder.  The body is of course grey stoneware and the bottom is flat and unglazed.   It came from Southern China, probably Guangdong region during the Ming dynasty.  A lot of similar jars were manufactured from that area.  

The second is a brown-glazed covered box which, according to Locsin*, “has decorative patterns traced out with raised lines within an unglazed circular area on the cover.”  He added, “The effect was probably achieved by pressing a mold onto the unfired body.  The bodies are a coarse, buff-colored material.  Decorative motifs vary- phoenix, peony, horse chestnut, chrysanthemum, or geometric patterns.”  It’s nicely done even though there’s a roughness to it.  There’s a chip on the lower lip so I got a big discount.

  

Upon arriving home, I opened my platera of ceramics and placed these two special items onto their permanent positions.  And felt that all is well with the world.

* Leandro V. Locsin, Cecilia Y. Locsin. Oriental Ceramics Discovered in the Philippines. Charles E. Tuttle, 1967

Papel or Papeles Sellado

Old Tagalog as written by an "escribano" or scribe

Years before I caught on the "serious" collecting bug, I was collecting paper ephemera like papel sellado.  By serious, I meant collecting objects that moneyed collectors covet like santos figures and ceramics. Back then, I was eking out the life of the proletariat living from one paycheck to the next whereby my disposable income for such indulgences is limited by the price ceiling. I was a cheapskate scraping the crumbs of Ebay.ph. The only difference now is that I have a slightly bigger paycheck.

I was interested in anything Spanish colonial and papery. Papel sellado stood out as perfect collecting material.  And my goodness, the amount and quality being offered was spectacular- a lot were affordable and quite interesting.

I snapped up everything that I could lay my hands on (budget permitting), and soon I was able to amass two albums full of documents.  During that time, the supply was plenty and the demand weak. So I was happy.

A 1-page document for 1855.

My insights so far:

1.  During the Spanish rule, papel sellado was introduced as a means of increasing government revenue through taxation of official documents. It's like having a notary public, but in this case, if you want to make something official, you have to pay the government in order to document your claim.

2.  Papel sellado had a range of values- from the cheapest (pobres) to most expensive (ilustres)- meaning even the poor illiterate farmer can have his official document too.  And this face value is depicted in different allegorical illustrations and colors so as to differentiate the years they were published.  So a papel sellado done in 1887 would be different from 1888.

Pobres. The lowest value.

3.  In collecting them, the higher the face value means the higher is its catalog value. Perhaps it is because not a lot of ordinary people used them, so there were only a few pieces left. And only the rich like the friars could afford the high value ones. 

4.  Since the high value sellados were used by the educated and the rich, the language used was typically Castillan in flavor and the handwriting more refined.  The lower class values meanwhile were usually written in the vernacular. Remember that Tagalog was still a language limited to the environs of Manila (and not a national language), so sellados coming from Ilocos would have been written in Ilocano.

5.  Although collectors value the seal and the stamp more, the contents of the sellado, for me, has the greater appeal. If you love languages, you'll enjoy reading Old Tagalog with its use of c's instead of k's, the lyricism of the words. You shall discover also from these fine existing examples the evolution of the Filipino language and how much has changed in terms of orthography and grammar.

6.  They will make you appreciate our Spanish heritage more because through this you will discover the lives, the trade-goods, the geography of a people long gone.  And reading the 1st hand narrative is the best.

The dry seal

For the past couple of years, the prices climbed steadily the rate of which is pretty alarming. Good luck to you if you can find one that costs less than P500. Most sellers already are quoting prices from the Lehmann Catalog thereby jacking up the cost.  I find this quite horrendous.  Why?

1. Even though I find the reference extremely important in cataloging extant Philippine papel sellados, I find it disturbing that local and foreign dealers quickly quote the catalog prices as bible truths as if the prices were dictated by the "National Committee on the Collection of Papel Sellado."  Before, a 2-page 1-stamp papel sellado from 1880s would have a selling range between P300-500. Now, dealers would quote a similar item at a slightly lesser price than the catalog value regardless of the state of its preservation (wormholed, torn, etc.)

Ex. "(L-619) Rare item catalog value of $75 but I'm selling it for $40 (P1700)"

2.  The catalog was written as a guide for collectors and not as a means for jacking up the prices.  Dealers pounced on this fact because there was no previous guide to speak of, and they thought, "Aha! I've been selling papel sellados so low, now that someone has published catalog values of my items, I'll just follow them and jack up my prices."   It's frustrating for the collector because the increase in the prices are not based on market forces but rather solely on the "expert" opinion of one who has published the pioneering monograph. It's frustrating really.

Ex. One Ebay.ph seller has a penchant for quoting the Lehmann catalog per page, meaning if your document has four pages, expect the price to increase exponentially.

Until that time when demand will snowball to a point when collectors will buy even at catalog prices, only then they shall have that moral ascendancy to do so because right now, they all look like money-grubbing ignoramuses.  Imagine selling a worm-holed and stained document at catalog price.  It's ridiculous. Anyhow,  with the current demand limited to a handful of knowledgeable collectors, having such prices soaring through my budgetary roof is really a huge turn off.

It has nearly been a decade since the first catalog was published online.  We'll just have to wait and pounce on those with better prices and reject those sellers who think that having an obscure Spanish document is as valuable as having the map to the Yamashita treasure.

my mini-collection

Just in case you missed the link for the Lehmann Catalog: www.theipps.info/bibliography/Papeles_Catalog.pdf

Sell Your Wares @ Harringtons Lifestyle Auction

For those collectors who would like to dispose their ceramics, paintings, sculptures, furniture, collectibles, but do not know where, Harringtons may provide you with that venue.  They're inviting consignors for their next auction. At least here, no dealer will give you his rock bottom buyer's price and no seller will bite the bullet just to sell his/her collection.

Inviting consignors for the 2nd HARRINGTONS LIFESTYLE AUCTION to be held at Rockwell Tent, Makati City on July 26, 2014.

Please call 5486900 local 6906, 6962 or 6936 for more details.

News: Manila’s Antique Shops Seek Past Glory

They used to be among Manila’s top attractions, but antique and arts shops especially in the Malate and Ermita districts had lost much of their charm through the years, with the last few holdouts yearning  for the good old days of selling old stuff.

Wilfred delos Reyes of Gallery Deus, which sells religious antiques and tribal artworks on Padre Faura Street, recalled how business was so brisk especially in the 1980s despite the stiff competition among the shops.

Back then, “almost a hundred percent of the shops on Mabini Street were into antiques,” Delos Reyes said. “Now there are less than 10 left.”

His own gallery, for example, could make around P1.2 million in just two days during that period, “but today it is hard for us to earn even P100,000 a month.”

Many shops started relocating to other cities like Pasay and Makati in the late ’90s, when rent got more and more expensive in Manila, pedestrian-friendly streets gave way to squalor, and crimes went on the rise..... (click link to continue reading)

READ:  Manila’s antique shops seek old glory through urban renewal

One has to read in between the lines to note that the dwindling supply and the deterioration of the area contributed to the disappearance of the antique trade in Ermita.  Is it just a matter of time?

Santos Series 02: San Miguel

Last week, I chanced upon my in dealer's shop here in the Philippine city of Puerto Buenvivir, in the province of  Montemayor (of course, pseudonyms lang tayo dito) a nice vintage santo.  Immediately I knew it was a San Miguel. I salivated and my dealer saw it and damn, I could only nudge the price 10% cheaper.  I was thinking that such a choice piece will fly off the shelf as soon as another collector comes in. In fact, a buena familia customer who was inside the shop was eyeing this piece too. Before she swooped down and bought the antique, I immediately lifted it and took my sweet time in examining it (until the lady left the premises of course).  My dealer told me that this particular piece arrived just today and the only persons who have seen this was me and the lady.  She added that the item came from Bantayan island but carved in Bohol or vice versa.  I was skeptical and barely managed to keep my eyeballs from rolling. Provenance be damned.

St. Michael (San Miguel) is for me one of the more desirable type of santos there is, for two simple reasons: (1) it's rare to find a table top statue and (2) the ensemble of an angel killing a crouched demon is powerful and beautiful.  Imagine a supernatural diety killing a demon! It evokes the mystical feel in our Catholic faith of good triumphing over evil.  This same feeling goes for the Immaculate Conception with Mary trampling a snake.

There are a few depictions of St. Michael as a table top set. It may be because not a lot of families wanted to have an object with a crouched devil inside their homes. (Thanks to Alex Castro for the insight.) If indeed they are available, either they are modern fakes done in plaster or are large figures destined for church niches. And if they're really tabletop antiques, they must have been bought by wealthy Buena Familias. 

It takes a lot of luck and serendipity to stumble upon a piece.  This is why even if the patina of my item does not hark to the Spanish times, I suspect this is more than 50 years old.  I think this was made between the late 19th century and before the 60s.  The enamel pain is highly suspect, but the fact that the entire thing was carved out from wood with the white chalky gesso or escayola exposed means that this was made during the time when there were a lot of santeros around. Thus, I place this during the American period and the decade after the war.

It may not be really a great antique, but this San Miguel pleases me to no end. Because, in the end, you as a collector must derive pleasure in your purchases and not on the potential financial gain.