Leon Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024 last Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 set a new benchmark, breaking its own world record for the most expensive Fernando Amorsolo painting sold on the market. Under the Mango Tree (1929), from the collection of Edward Joseph Nell, the “Father of Philippine Air-conditioning” who introduced Carrier Incorporated in the country, fetched PhP 57,676,800 (inclusive of buyer’s premium). Nell’s Amorsolo topped the previous world record set by the Peracamps Mango Gatherers (1931), which Leon Gallery, a foremost art establishment in the Philippines, sold in The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction 2018 for PhP 46.7 million.
The milestone in Philippine art achieved over the weekend was further made special by the fact that Under the Mango Tree has been repatriated to the Philippines owing to the efforts of Leon Gallery director Jaime Ponce de Leon—after almost a century of being in America with the Nell Family. The work was acquired by Edward Nell from Amorsolo himself in 1929, the year the painting was done. There’s a photograph of Amorsolo posing beside his masterpiece in the Nell archives of family photographs; it was taken around the same time Nell acquired the work. This was proof of purchase and authenticity.
“The record-breaking sale of Under the Mango Tree just shows that Amorsolos remain to be the gold standard of Philippine art collecting,” Ponce de Leon said.
Despite the general decline in sales in the art market, particularly in the US, the Leon Gallery team led by Ponce de Leon has remained steadfast in guaranteeing that only the finest in Philippine art are offered the collectors.
“It has been our challenge to ensure that we provide very good lots that will avoid the general art slump. Luckily, we had the privilege of offering some rarities to the market, including this beautiful Amorsolo. Hence, we were able to overcome that fear,” Ponce de Leon stressed. “This is stellar proof that the Philippine art market is alive and well.”
Under the Mango Tree, painted by Amorsolo during the peak of his “Golden Period” when he became the most famous and sought-after painter in the Philippines, has the prerequisite combination of sterling provenance, historical context and pertinence, and lush subject matter—the mango tree was Amorsolo’s favorite subject matter.
These qualities make the masterpiece an ultimate rarity among the Amorsolo paintings that enter the market endlessly. Moreover, the painting, which measures 38″ x 38″, has an unusually square shape. All this combined led to the exceptional result the auction house has just achieved.
LOT 52, PROPERTY FROM THE EDWARD J. NELL COLLECTION, Fernando Amorsolo (1892 – 1972), Lady with Basket, signed and dated 1929 (lower left), oil on wood, 16 1/4” x 13” (41 cm x 33 cm), SOLD: PHP 10,213,600
Another gem from the Nell collection was Amorsolo’s Lady with Basket, also painted in 1929. The small but charming work was sold for PHP 10,213,600.
LOT 119, Acta de la Proclamación de Independencia del Pueblo Filipino, Manuscript Copy of The Original 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence Document by Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista for El Teniente Coronel General Jefe de Ejercito Militar José Bañuelos, one of The Signatories of The Official Document, 12 pages, condition: slight tropical stain, water stain at the bottom, but still fine, SOLD: PHP 11,415,200
Aside from Nell’s Amorsolos, Leon Gallery broke its record for the highest sum paid for a Philippine historical document. The rare manuscript copy of the 1898 Declaration of Independence, hand-copied by Lt. Col. Jose Bañuelo, one of former President Emilio Aguinaldo’s closest confidantes and himself a signatory to the official declaration, was sold for PHP 11,415,200, doubling the sum set by the Extremely Rare and Historically Important Letter from Andres Bonifacio to Emilio Jacinto dated 24 April 1897, sold for PHP 5.6 million in Leon Gallery’s The Asian Cultural Council Auction 2018.
PROPERTY FROM THE OSSORIO FAMILY COLLECTION, LOT 69, Alfonso Ossorio (1916 – 1990), Untitled, signed and dated 9.II.57 (verso), oil, enamel, and plaster on Masonite, 96” x 24” (244 cm x 61 cm), SOLD: PHP 33,644,800
Alfonso Ossorio’s Untitled piece from 1957, from the collection of his own wealthy clan, fetched PHP 33,644,800, breaking another world record for the avant-garde Filipino abstractionist. Aside from its provenance, the painting’s impressive outcome stems from the fact that Ossorio was deeply influenced by his dear friend, the pioneering American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock when he made this rare masterpiece.
LOT 75, Juan Luna y Novicio (1857 – 1899), Portrait of Adele della Rocca, signed, dated 1884, and inscribed “A la S.ta Adele della Rocca” (lower right), oil on canvas, 42″ x 22″ (107 cm x 56 cm), SOLD: PHP 31,241,600
LOT 91, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo (1855 – 1913), Portrait of Madame Rose Delaunay, signed, dated 1907 and inscribed “A Mr et Mad Delaunay – souvenir de FR. Hidalgo” (lower left), oil on canvas, 25 1/2” x 18” (65 cm x 46 cm), SOLD: PHP 5,287,040
Philippine art’s “sun and moon” and their enchanting depictions of European high society figured prominently in the auction. Juan Luna’s Portrait of Adele della Rocca, which he painted in the same year as the national treasure Spoliarium and which depicts the lovely niece of the senior aide-de-camp of King Umberto I of Italy, set a new record for the most expensive Luna portrait—at PHP 31,241,600.
Felix Resureccion Hidalgo’s Portrait of Madame Rose Delaunay, the famous French operatic soprano, sold for PHP 5,287,040.
Lot 31, PROPERTY FROM THE PRISCILLA L. CHIONGBIAN COLLECTION, Vicente Manansala (1910 – 1981), Woman Playing Guitar, signed, dated 1978, and inscribed L.A. (upper left), oil on canvas, 30” x 30” (76 cm x 76 cm), SOLD: PHP 15,620,800
Lot 35, PROPERTY FROM THE PRISCILLA L. CHIONGBIAN COLLECTION, Vicente Manansala (1910 – 1981), Still Life, signed, dated 1976, and inscribed L.A. (upper left), oil on canvas, 24” x 36” (61 cm x 91 cm), SOLD: PHP 14,419,200
PROPERTY FROM THE DON VICENTE “TIKING” H. LOPEZ COLLECTION, LOT 62, Hernando R. Ocampo (1911 – 1978), Karnabal, signed and dated 1971 (lower left), handwritten dedication, “To Tiking, art patron but above all a good friend. Nanding, March 15, 1971” (verso), oil on canvas 32” x 24” (81 cm x 61 cm), SOLD: PHP 9,612,800
Masterpieces from seasoned collectors also stood out: from Manansala’s Transparent Cubism, Woman Playing Guitar and Still Life, both from the collection of Priscilla Chiongbian, Sarangani’s founding governor and a loving friend to the Cubist master, yielded PHP 15,620,800 and PHP 14,419,200, respectively. They were both painted by Manansala during his vacations with Priscilla in her Beverly Hills mansion, where “Mang Enteng” found solace and relaxation in painting some of his most vibrant works.
Hernando R. Ocampo’s Karnabal, his gift to his dear friend and art patron Don Tiking H. Lopez, Jr., fetched PHP 9,612,800.
Lot 110, Fernando Zóbel (1924 – 1984), La Terraza III, signed (lower right and verso) titled and dated 1978 (verso), oil on canvas, 39 1/2” x 39 1/2” (100 cm x 100 cm), SOLD: PHP 20,427,200
Lot 79, Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942), I No Longer Worry, signed and dated 2005 (lower right), acrylic on canvas, 48” x 24” (122 cm x 61 cm), SOLD: PHP 15,620,800
Lot 130, PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF A DISTINGUISHED FAMILY, Fernando Amorsolo (1892 – 1972), Ifugaos in Mines View Park, signed and dated 1934 (lower right), oil on canvas, 19” x 26” (48 cm x 66 cm), SOLD: PHP 18,042,200
LOT 48, Elmer Borlongan (b. 1967), Cabinet Member, signed and dated 2005 (lower left), oil on canvas, 60” x 48” (152 cm x 122 cm), SOLD: PHP 14,419,200
Other outstanding auction results include Fernando Zobel’s homage to his beloved hometown of Cuenca in Spain, La Terraza III (PHP 20,427,200); BenCab’s major work featured in his major monograph celebrating his 50 years in Philippine art, I No Longer Worry (PHP 15,620,800); Amorsolo’s immortalization of the Baguio gold rush of the 1930s, Ifugaos in Mines View Park (PHP 18,042,200); and Elmer Borlongan’s ingeniously titled Cabinet Member (PHP 14,419,200).
Ponce de Leon thanked the collectors— “Thank you to all our clients for heeding to our call of fostering the Filipino virtuoso through our exquisite offerings.”
