MANILA, Philippines - Amid a controversy involving illegally obtained ivory in Philippine churches, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Museum has put on display what it described as the largest ivory crucifix ever made in the Philippines as part of its “Ars Eboris Sacri (Art of Sacred Ivory): Ivory and Controversy†exhibit.
The image of the crucified Christ measures 77 centimeters long and 68 centimeters wide, museum director Fr. Isidro Abaño said yesterday.
The crucifix is only one of 10 religious images made of ivory that are on display at the exhibit, which started July 18 and run until Sept. 28.
Abaño said the crucifix is considered the oldest – while there are no records saying when the image was created, the details on the crucifix indicate it was done in the late 16th century or 17th century.
The artist is unknown “because there was a Church ruling before that artists were forbidden to place their names even in paintings as a sign of humility,†he said.
However, Abaño said the image may have been done by a Chinese sculptor or someone influenced by the Chinese. He pointed out that the Christ’s eyelids were similar to how the Chinese make their images of Buddha.
“If you look at the ‘Crucified Christ,’ the eyes are not closed, (they are) meditative,†Abaño added.
Relic holes
As for the small holes found all over the wooden cross, Abaño said he believes the holes served as a place to put small relics, such as small bones or pieces of cloth, from saints or they could have been used as receptacles for “ex voto,†an offering to the church to fulfill a vow.
He doubts that the holes are there for aesthetic reasons alone since there are numbers in every hole. “This may mean that they used to put something into these holes,†he said.
An example of “ex voto†is when a person, after recovering from an eye ailment, would commission someone to make a replica of an eye in silver or gold and place it in one of the holes.
Valuing heritage
Abaño said they decided to exhibit the ivory images for the first time to help educate the people about the country’s history and to help them understand that the Filipinos of today should learn to value their heritage.
These images prove that there was an existing sea trade between the Philippines and nearby countries such as China and Thailand, he said.
UST also put up the exhibit to show that the university is against the trading and carving of new ivory images, according to Abaño.
In October last year, National Geographic magazine came out with a story on the resurgence of illegally obtained ivory.
Abaño explained that the ivory pieces in UST possession were acquired centuries ago, long before the Philippines became a signatory to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1981.