Art works are not created equal; their eventual sale prices ultimately depend on the stature of the artist, the piece’s authenticity, quality, starting price and the credibility of the auction house handling the sale.
A fine art auction is always a function of exceptional works of art put under the hammer, either paintings, prints, photography, sculptures, functional art or antiques like religious figures, furnitures and historical artifacts.
The much-awaited first of four full auctions of Leon Gallery, the country’s foremost art auction house recognized for its lots of impeccable provenance, quality, long list of collectors and intensive promotion, held a successful sale of a 211-lot auction on February 18, 2017 at its showroom at the G/F Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Streets, Legazpi Village, Makati City, Philippines.
Here are the top eight bestsellers.
ANTIQUES. The Batangas Uno Mesa Altar, known as “the Holy Grail of antique Philippine furniture collectors,” was sold at a staggering P16,352,000 (Note: All prices include the gallery premium), taking rank one in the antique category in the recent Leon Gallery Asian Cultural Council Philippines 2017 Auction.
In the catalog, antique authority Martin Tinio Jr. describes, “It stands on four cabriole-type legs resting on somewhat flattened squash-shaped feet that are supported by a frame platform in the typical Ming Style, with the latter positioned parallel to the ground and supported by square, ogee feet. The legs are carved with stylized acanthus leaves at the shoulders and are joined together in front and at the sides by convex aprons that follow the curve of the legs.”
The rest are:
2. Silver Sanctuary Lamp at P3,036,800;
3. Ivory Crucifix (Hispano-Philippine) at P3,036,800;
4. Pedro Murillo Velarde Mapa de las Yslas Pilipinas at P3,270,400;
5. Silver Tabernacle at P2,336,000;
6. Sketch of Book of Karl Ullmer with Jose Rizal drawings by Jose Rizal is signed and dated 1886 at P1,635,200;
7. Urna at P1,401,600; and
8. Dining Table and Set of Chairs at P1,051,200
OVERALL FINE ART. The top eight sellers are the perennial high-demand artists:
Felix Resureccion Hidalgo’s A Lady in the Moonlight was sold at P18,688,000 including gallery premium.
“The work fully typifies Hidalgo’s portrait technique: soft edges and an equally soft light which is cast on the subject. The delicacy with which the lacey outfit is made to compliment on the subject’s face is masterly. The surrounding dark background does not quite seem real: the background is immaterial as long as the viewer focuses on the beauty of her face. The delicate pallor of Maria Yrittia’s face is almost luminous in the weak, evening light.
“The moonlight provides an ideal pretext for an image that is strikingly poetic, elegiac, melancholic and slightly unreal.
“The figure is frontally but not harshly lit. The whiteness of her skin shines out, defying the viewer to pay attention to any other aspect of the painting.
“The lacy details of the dress are painted with a softness and blurring of definition...wrapping the subject in an aura of mystery: languorous and free of self-consciousness.
“There is that romantic allure of woodlands, secret coves and Arcadian scenes where a misty solitary maiden is glimpsed. It is a fine example of the work of a master painter at the height of his powers. His lyricism is apparent when compared to Luna’s oeuvre, which seethes with dramatic tension.
“Of Hidalgo’s art, (Jose) Rizal had much respect and admiration; “…in the painting of Hidalgo throbs the purest sentiment, an idealized expression of melancholy...Hidalgo is all light-color and harmony, feeling, limpidness like the Philippines in the calm, moonlit nights, in her serene days with her
Fernando Zobel’s #305 Dianium (1959) at P14,016,000;
Ronald Ventura’s Conquest (2011) at P14,016,000;
Fernando Zobel’s Los Tejados II fourth at P11,096,000;
Ang Kiukok’s Rosary Queen (1989) fifth at P10,512,000;
Ang Kiukok, Fishermen (2002), at P9,928,000;
Fernando Amorsolo’s Burning of the Idols (1952) at P8,760,000; and
Annie Cabigting’s This Is My Painting If I Paint It. This Is Your Painting If You Paint It (After Reinhardt) (2010), the only contemporary work in the short list at P8,176,000.
CONTEMPORARY ART. Ronald Ventura’s Conquest (2011) ranked number one in the contemporary art lots at P14,016,000. The catalog states: “After such string of successes, Ventura pushed the envelope further. Creating a stunning collection of works for his 2011 show entitled “A Thousand Islands,” his highly detailed paintings, sculptures, drawings and installations all boast of the iconic artist’s multifaceted virtuosity. In the show, Ventura exhibits a grand assortment of thematically cohesive works. Phantasmagorical in essence, the floating islands allude to the Philippine archipelago, and the various elements juxtaposed into the dystopic fantasy to that of the hybridity and complex cultural heritage of the Philippines. This very work, Conquest, was among the highlights of “A Thousand Islands.”
“Brilliant is Ventura’s thematic intent, more so with his inimitable degree of detail and allegorical depth.”
2. Annie Cabigting’s This Is My Painting If I Paint It. This Is Your Painting If You Paint It (After Reinhardt) (2010) at P8,176,000;
3. Buen Calubayan’s Palabas / Papasok at P4,672,000;
4. Elmer Borlongan Circumaural (2013) at P3,737,600;
5. Mark Justiniani’s Untitled (2008) at P1,868,800;
6. Augusto Albor’s My Favorite Wall (1996) at P1,635,200;
7. Ronald Ventura’s Untitled (2016) at P1,401,600; and
8. Joven Mansit’s Lola (2008) at P1,401,600.
ARTlead Originals’ consignment, Sherwin Paul Gonzales’ The Jester (2014) with Starting Bid of P8,000, sold for P52,560.
The catalog reads: “An immensely talented artist from Baler, Aurora, whose penchant for satire has produced some of this decade’s most stirring works, Sherwin Paul Gonzales reflects on a harsh national reality — how politicians rule our lives with treachery as a way of life and how the people allow themselves to be taken for a ride.
“The Jester is the trickster put into power by an unseen Kingmaker who must follow his every will and whim. He wears thick clown makeup to hide, bright headwear to divert attention, and skintight patterns to make his cover even more deceiving. Featuring exceptional draftsmanship, substantive content and an incomparable use of color, texture and contrast, Gonzales’ paintings steep themselves in allegory and motion — parodying Philippine politics, with the clowns embodying the politicians in all their comedic trickery.”
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’Holy Grail of antique Philippine furniture collectors‘ crowns Leon Gallery auction
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