Salcedo Auctions caps a landmark 2025 season with the marquee event—Under the Tree: The Wish List sale concludes its 15th anniversary celebrations on Nov. 29, 2025.
Headlining this auction is Félix Martínez’s La Jota Manileña from 1886, a rare gem by a true Filipino master from a private collection in Europe. It resurfaced in Stockholm under the benign title, Village Scene, the Philippines.
Though lesser known than his contemporaries, Juan Luna y Novicio and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Martinez was an accomplished painter who embraced the traditional canons he absorbed under the tutelage of the Spanish Dominicans at the University of Santo Tomas—which he later imparted as professor at the Escuela Práctica Profesional de Artes y Oficios de Manila—the moving portrayals of Filipino life.
At Salcedo Auctions, Martinez’s grand opus occupies pride of place in an impressive catalogue, his art evoking the mood of an era, and the sensitive characterization of his countrymen. It was completed in 1886, a historical moment that saw the acceleration of the resistance against the Spanish colonizers. In his painting, his subjects’ celebratory dance defies the turmoil, reflecting a nation’s will to emancipate itself from Spanish rule.
En Conde de Ibarra III, Fernando Zobel, 1982, oil on canvas, 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches, estimated at PHP 6,500,000 – 8,500,000
Vendors, Mauro Malang Santos, 2003, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches, estimated at P12,000,000 – 15,000,000.
Martinez’s masterpiece is alongside a strong roster of post-war greats who carried Philippine art into modernity: National Artists Jose Joya, Cesar Legaspi, BenCab, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, and Ang Kiukok; with Fernando Zóbel, Juvenal Sansó, Mauro Malang Santos, Nena Saguil, Pacita Abad, and Oscar Zalameda, to name a few, each expanding the visual vocabulary of gesture, landscape, and abstraction.
Blue Grotto, Jose Joya, 1993, acrylic collage, 15 x 23 inches, estimated at P2,400,000-2,600,000
Untitled (Palaspas), Cesar Legaspi, 1981, oil on canvas,
26 ¾ x 20 ½ inches, estimated at P1,600,000 – 1,800,000.
There’s also the dynamic presence of the younger generation of contemporary artists led by Ronald Ventura, the works representing different important phases in his career.
Also on the block are works by Poklong Anading, Arnold Lalongisip, Emmanuel Garibay, Mark Aran Reyes, among many others—whose paintings testify to the continual reinvention of Filipino visual expression.
Dreamer’s Desert Study No. 6, Mark Aran Reyes, 2020, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches, estimated at
PHP 1,400,000 – 1,600,000
Waves, Ronald Ventura, 2021, oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches, estimated at PHP 12,000,000 – P15,000,000.
Beyond art, the auction reveals standout pieces across sections which underscore the breadth of Philippine material culture. From antique furniture shaped by centuries of craftsmanship, to ecclesiastical objects that trace the intertwined histories of faith and empire, to historical and ethnographic relics preserving ancestral knowledge, and finally to fine jewelry and watches where rarity and artistry converge, this year’s omnibus presents a panoramic view of heritage.
These gems from all sectors form a fitting culmination to Salcedo’s milestone year—one marked by landmark finds, record-setting moments, and renewed recognition of the cultural wealth of the archipelago.
A rare and valuable lot of six ‘piloncitos’ , 9th to 12th century pre-colonial Philippines, estimated at PHP 300,000 – 350,000
Set of three 4-Peso “Isabelinas” 21k gold coins, minted 1862 and 1868, estimated at PHP 150,000-180,000.
Among the most significant historical offerings is a lot of six gold piloncitos (9th–12th centuries), the earliest known pre-colonial coinage in Southeast Asia. Their survival offers a rare glimpse into ancient trade, craftsmanship, and the proto-monetary systems of early Philippine societies. Joining these are three 21k gold Isabelina coins minted in 1862 and 1868—numismatic witnesses to the Philippines’ pivotal economic role during Spanish rule.
De tallado solid ivory ‘Inmaculada Concepcion’ figure from 19th century Ilocos, estimated at PHP 320,000 – 350,000
A Rococo style double-entry butterfly doors with chinoiserie and Philippine orchid motif, 3rd quarter, 19th century, Paete, Laguna, estimated at
PHP 500,000 – 550,000.
The ecclesiastical highlights are led by a masterfully carved detallado solid ivory Inmaculada Concepcion from 19th-century Ilocos, set on a Rococo base. The sculpture exemplifies the region’s renowned devotional craftsmanship and its fusion of European iconography with local sensibilities.
An important large Lagawe seated bulul from late 19th century Ifugao, from the collection of Floy Quintos, estimated at PHP 280,000 – 330,000
An Abraham Ortelius map, 1589, estimated at PHP 160,000 – 180,000.
Fine Philippine antiques and ethnographic objects from across the Philippines are also offered at auction. They include an exceptional architectural piece: a Rococo-style double-entry butterfly doors from Paete, Laguna; ethnographic relics from the collection of Floy Quintos, and important Philippine maps from the 1500s to the 1700s.
The jewellery and horology offerings are equally compelling. A Vacheron Constantin steel-and-gold Phidias automatic (circa 1990) brings understated Swiss elegance; a ladies Patek Philippe Calatrava (circa 2013) captures the purity and refinement of the maison’s most iconic line; and a Breguet triple-calendar Serpentine moonphase from the 1990s.
An Elegant Patek Philippe Ladies Calatrava watch, circa 2013, estimated PHP 650,000 – 750,000
A fine and rare Breguet Triple Calendar Serpentine Moonphase watch, circa 1990s, estimated at PHP 950,000 – 1,100,000.
Under the Tree: Wish List is a sweeping testament to heritage, craftsmanship, and the enduring narratives embedded in the objects we keep and cherish.
The Under the Tree: The Wish List auction is on Saturday, 29 November 2025 with an online morning Holiday Sale starting at 10 am, followed by the live and online afternoon sale starting at 2 pm. Preview opens to the public on Thursday 20 November and runs until Friday 28 November, daily including Sunday (closed Monday), 9am-6pm at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City.
For further inquiries, send an email to info@salcedoauctions.com or phone 0917 107 5581 | 0917 125 0307
View the catalogue and register to bid at salcedoauctions.com.
