In this year’s edition of The Magnificent September Auction on September 12, León Gallery highlights Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s Two Women in Brown, which shows the artist in her experimental phase. It is her last known tempera painting and one of her final works in the Philippines before her odyssey around the world as an expatriate Filipina for the next four decades.
Two Women in Brown also straddled the twilight years of two eras: Anita’s prolific “Philippine Period,” her golden period, of the 1950s to the early 1960s and the Philippine Art Gallery’s waning days.
Fernando Zóbel’s gift to fellow modernist Carl L. Steele is another highlight of this auction. Entitled Saeta 82–Filadelfia, this is the only Saeta painted in the United States, a testament to the friendship between Zóbel and the Philadelphia-born artist, which blossomed at a most fortuitous time in Philippine art history: at the legendary Philippine Art Gallery’s landmark The First Exhibition of Non-Objective Art in Tagala in December 1953.
LOT 67, Fernando Zóbel (1924 – 1984), Saeta 82 – Filadelfia (Blanco sobre gris), signed (lower right), dated 1958, oil on canvas
Saeta 82–Filadelfia was painted in 1958 in the penthouse of Steele’s townhouse at 1606 Pine Street. It captures the frenzied cityscape of Philadelphia at night, with its skyscraper lights piercing the night sky, and the headlights flashing as cars drive through the city’s highways. A token of friendship, Saeta 82 is an extremely rare painting.
LOT 51, PROPERTY FROM THE MA. CRISTINA O. ROXAS COLLECTION, Mariano Asuncion (1802 – 1885), Nuestra Señora del Rosario, 19th Century, oil on board, 18″ x 13 1/2″ (46 cm x 34 cm)
The treasure trove of Ma. Cristina “Kit” Ongpin-Roxas offers many exciting gems from the golden era of fine art and antiques in Manila. Known as the female “Indiana Jones” of the Philippine antiques trade and founder of the renowned Tawalisi antique shop, Ongpin-Roxas has assembled a collection that includes Mariano Asuncion’s Nuestra Señora del Rosario, an elegant and rare museum piece by the 19th century master, and a late 19th-century ivory and kamagong Calvario, one of the few documented antique Filipino calvary tableaux with 14K (or higher) solid gold accessories.
LOT 52, PROPERTY FROM THE MA. CRISTINA O. ROXAS COLLECTION, The Roxas Calvario, last quarter of the nineteenth century (1875–1900), (Crucifixion scene with Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the
Evangelist, and Saint Mary Magdalene), Ivory, kamagong wood (“Diospyros discolor”/“Diospyros blancoi”), 14 K gold (or
higher), with virina: H: 28″ (71 cm), L: 19 1/2″ (50 cm), W: 12″ (30 cm), without virina: H: 26 1/4″ (67 cm), L: 19 1/2″ (50 cm), W: 12″ (30 cm), Corpus: H: 8 3/4″ (22 cm), L: 5″ (13 cm), W: 1 1/4″ (3 cm)
Proceeds from the sale of the Kit Ongpin-Roxas collection will directly support a definitive technical and scientific study on the history of Philippine furniture, to be featured in LIKHA 5 at the Likha Filipino Exhibition Halls in October 2026, continuing her legacy of championing heritage and culture.
Several ephemera from revolutionary heroes are also up for grabs in this auction.
LOT 106, PROPERTY FROM THE DR. LEONCIO LOPEZ-RIZAL FAMILY, José Rizal (1861 – 1896), Hand-painted Chess Pieces, c. 1893, thirty-two discs, Ivory / bone, hand-painted with Chessmen by José Rizal, 32 pieces D: 1″ (3 cm), with one piece, chipped, 1″ x 1/2″ (3 cm x 1 cm)
Dr. Jose Rizal’s ivory and bone chess pieces, hand-painted during his Dapitan exile, serve as mementos of Rizal’s intellect and artistic flair. A closer look at the pieces shows that one set features a European King, Queen, Knight, and Rook, while the other set has an African King and Queen, with an elephant for the Bishop and a zebra for the Knight.
Relics from the First Philippine Republic, Asia’s first constitutional republic, are among the most important of the historical lots. General Antonio Luna’s epaulets, designed by his brother Juan Luna, were some of the only things to survive following the general’s assassination. First entrusted by Gen. Luna to the care of two of his closest friends, landed couple Don Mariano Noble and Doña Florentina Arellano, the epaulets would be passed down secretly from one generation of Luna’s loyal friends to another, and would stay hidden for 127 years until its surfacing today.
LOT 114, PROPERTY FROM THE RICHARD AND SANDRA LOPEZ COLLECTION, Apolinario Mabini (1864 – 1903), The Rise and Fall of the Philippine Republic (An English translation of Apolinario Mabini’s La Revolucion Filipina), No title page, 83 bound pages, 12″ x 9″ (30 cm x 23 cm), With The Philippine Revolution Judged by A Filipino, The Only Known Chapter of Mabini’s Suppressed History, Translation by Austin Craig, 8” x 4 3/4” (20 cm 12 cm), 7 pages
The surviving pages of Apolinario Mabini’s English translation of La Revolucion Filipina, his controversial memoir about the Malolos Republic and Gen. Luna’s death, is also up for grabs. These are the only known existing page proofs of this planned publication, as historical manuscripts ready for publication by the National Library were destroyed during the Second World War.
LOT 116, Proyecto de las obras necesarias para completar el programa de las Dependencias de Malacañang (Project of Necessary Works to Complete the Program for the Secondary Buildings of Malacañang)
The never-before-seen plans for Malacañang, made in the aftermath of the disastrous 1880 earthquake, show the architectural genius that transformed the building from a mere summer mansion into the palace it is today.
LOT 68, For the Benefit of MovEd, Manuel Rodriguez Sr. (1912 – 2017), “Nipa Hut Madonna”, signed (lower right), print, 27″ x 21″ (69 cm x 53 cm
Several artworks are also up for sale for the benefit of MovEd. Proceeds from the sale of Manuel Rodriguez Sr.’s Nipa Hut Madonna, Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s Women with Christmas Parols and Women with Flowers, and Anton del Castillo’s The Predator and Prey will go to MovEd’s mission of providing early childhood education and development programs.
“On behalf of Team León Gallery, we eagerly invite you to share with us once again this momentous occasion celebrating our nation’s proud history and heritage,” says Jaime L. Ponce de León, director of León Gallery. “We sincerely appreciate all of you, and we always look forward to your pleasant company as we cultivate a shared love of culture.”
León Gallery’s ‘The Magnificent September Auction 2026’ will be held on Saturday, 12 September 2026, at 2 pm. The preview exhibit will run from September 5 to September 11, from 9 am to 7 pm, at G/F Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Streets, Legazpi Village, Makati City.
To browse the online catalog, visit https://leon-gallery.com/. For further inquiries, email info@leon-gallery.com, or contact tel. no. 8856-2781. Follow León Gallery on their social media pages for timely updates: Facebook: www.facebook.com/leongallerymakati and Instagram: @leongallerymakati.
