Salcedo Auctions is offering over 100 exceptional works, across art genres and artisanships, in Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles live and online auction on Saturday, June 25, 2022, 2 p.m.
The country’s premier auction house tapped its team of specialists to come up with a trove of fine collectibles for its discerning clientele. Among the major offerings are a large and stunning Anita Magsaysay-Ho painting documented in Alfredo Roces’ monograph In Praise of Women from the collection of a prominent family; a rare and important 1969 mixed media oeuvre from National Artist BenCab’s Scavenger series derived from the artist’s significant London period; a powerful and iconic Ang Kiukok dated 2002 from a renowned Asian collection; a 1933 oil on canvas fisherman’s family scene by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, a very rare 18th century gargoyle Dinemonyo altar table in balayong; collectible vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona timepieces; Cartier fine bone china; and Christofle sterling silver.
An 18th century gargoyle ‘Dinemonyo’ altar table, 1st half 18th century, Balayong wood / engraved metal mounts
Anita Magsaysay-Ho left an enduring legacy not only in modern Philippine art but also in the celebration of Filipino womanhood. Delicate ink blots are scattered throughout the pictorial surface, suggesting the shapes of rocks, driftwood and vegetation. In her practice, Magsaysay-Ho illustrates women quietly carrying out domestic tasks such as winnowing, selling wares, or looking after livestock. With their eyes half-closed and smiling lips, they embody a secret sort of contentment and self-fulfillment in the idyllic world they share with other women.
Referred to as the Scavenger series, BenCab’s exceedingly rare and formidable works bear the archetypal qualities of his Sabel and Larawan series: rumpled swathes of fabric covering dynamic figures, and sharp divisions in the forms and tonalities of the background. The scavenger does not only serve as a prelude to BenCab’s most iconic subjects, but it is also, more importantly, a distillation of the artist’s sentiments, giving a visual voice to the struggle against oppression and injustice that would become central to the artist’s body of work—a testament to the unwavering values both art and artist uphold.
RAMON ORLINA, ‘Flight to the New Frontiers’, 2001, Carved asahi glass
Colloquially known as dinemonyo table, this ultimate example is one of the most elusive pieces of early Hispano-Filipino furniture, considered arguably as the dream acquisition of many serious furniture collectors and connoisseurs. The craftsmanship and condition of this table are comparable to, if not better, than similar tables kept in museums and leading private collections.
Watch collectors will celebrate this upcoming auction for its well-curated collection of timepieces. The pièce de résistance is the rare and collectable vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Big Red” Sigma Dial, 37mm, Circa 1979. The impressive lineup of supporting lots reveals the passion for quality and legacy-making.
ROLEX, A Rare and Collectable Vintage Cosmograph Daytona “Big Red” Sigma Dial Reference no. 6265, 37mm, Serial No. 6223745, Circa 1979
Other important Philippine artworks to look forward to in the auction include National Artist J. Elizalde Navarro’s much-exhibited and published The Red Kimono, Tokyo from 1965, Ramon Orlina’s impressive Flight to the New Frontiers, 2001, from the collection of the Tower Club, National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s 1960s Untitled (Battle of Mactan) watercolor, featured in the artist’s monograph and authenticated by his apprentice Salvador Juban, a 1967 acrylic titled Objects VII by Roberto Chabet with its original Luz Gallery label, an iconic 1982 Malang gouache, and a rare pastoral monochromatic watercolor showing rice farmers by National Artist Vicente Manansala from 1971 that proves his supremacy in the medium.
BENCAB, ‘Untitled (from the ‘Scavenger’ series), 1969, Mixed media on board
FERNANDO AMORSOLO, ‘Evening Meal on a Raft House’, 1993, Oil on canvas
