From an unusual Botong to a fluid Luz — it’s auction time at Leon Gallery
There’s even an unusual watercolor of Baras Church, by none other that Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco, the convento in the background and a strange contraption on the parish lawn. There will be plenty of occasions of ice-breaking conversations with this beauty.
MANILA, Philippines — Curb your enthusiasm — it’s the Leon Exchange online auction this weekend of April 27 and 28 at Eurovilla I, Legaspi Street, Legaspi Village.
Indeed, the canny auction-goer knows this instinctively: the deadpan gaze even when confronted by the most delicious objects; the deliberate circling away from the painting of one’s desire; the almost absent-minded reply when asked if anything caught one’s fancy. The seasoned bidder must learn how to underplay so as not to attract the attention of ready competitors.
This time around, there ought to be plenty for everybody: 331 paintings will go on the block on Friday, April 27; another 285 objets and furniture from all the decades will be up for sale the following day on Saturday, April 28, making all told, a grand total of 616 must-haves from every spectrum.
Untitled by Macario Vitalis
I’m breaking my own rules by sharing the following of the most glamorous works. Whetting the appetite for modernist masters is Lot 54, a rare 1954 sketchbook of Fernando Zobel’s drawings published by Arturo Luz and dedicated to the writer/painter E. Aguilar Cruz — a trifecta of moderns. There’s also Lot 56, a Luz print (one of 20 but here’s hoping that the 19 have long vanished), titled “Seranata,” dated 1965, and with an unimpeachable pedigree from the former owner, Ramon N. Villegas. There’s even an unusual watercolor of Baras Church, by none other that Carlos “Botong” Francisco, the convento in the background and a strange contraption on the parish lawn. (Is it a felled monument or a lopsided cannon? There will be plenty of occasions of ice-breaking conversations with this beauty.) Lot 113 is charming nevertheless, dated by Botong under a clear, blue sky in November 1955. There’s also an entire suite of drawings, including a marvelous Orientalist watercolor and a movie poster, some 24 parts of Lot 210, all by Botong.
A Fabian de la Rosa watercolor, Lot 93, is of one of those doe-eyed heiresses of the mestizeria who used to glide up and down Calle R. Hidalgo. (In 1927, I’ll give you three guesses who exactly she was.) Also tantalizing is the 1889 certificate of second prize from the French Exposicion Universelle to none other than Monsieur Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo for the frankly feminine work ‘La Parisienne,’ a portrait of a parasol-carrying femme, again once in the possession of the savant Ramon N. Villegas. Lot 283, a set of four philatelic covers addressed to the Resurrection Hidalgos, also from the Villegas collection, is also riveting. There is Lot 190, a charcoal study of a male nude from 1919 by Guillermo Tolentino, a book piece by the man who sculpted the Oblation. Fellow academician Dominador Castaneda, in Lot 192, is represented by a radiant triptych of blush-pink clouds.
“Serenata” by Arturo Luz
Other Filipinos in Europe include Lot 148, Breton-based Macario Vitalis who painted a lively day at the races, possibly in Deauville, Coco Chanel’s favorite town outside Paris; as well as Lot 259, a Juvenal Sanso-scape, the color of burnt umber and bright azure.
Day 2 will serve up silver-embossed guestbook covers (perfect gifts for the hostess with the mostest, of course), and Lots 376 and 377, which consists of handsome altar tables that once belonged to the famous artist Jose Joya. Lot 373 is a highly unusual Art Deco wardrobe, finished with a full-length mirror and glass cabinets on either side. A crested narra cabinet, Lot 384, is another splendid presence. Lalique bowls, Georg Jensen silver, Chinese ginger jars and study tables also make lively counter-points to a vista of furniture that they said could not be crammed in the Leon Gallery showrooms. (Look out for Lot 428, a cabinet featuring Moorish inlay combined with a Northern double-eagle; and Lot 448, a 19th-century Sheraton sideboard, perfect for those groaning buffets.) There is an ample partners desk as well as a splendid crystal chandelier from the Legarda mansion in storied San Miguel district. Thanks to the impeccable taste and tireless imagination of designer Paolo del Rosario, the Eurovilla salons have never looked more elegant.
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Leon Gallery is at Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Streets., Legazpi Village, Makati City. For information, visit www.leon-gallery.com, email info@leon-gallery.com or call 856-2781.
