PROPERTY FROM THE ESTEFANIA ALDABA-LIM COLLECTION Tinikling No. 2 signed and inscribed "Tinikling No.2 from the Original by Carlos V. Francisco" (lower right) ca. 1964 oil on canvas 41 1/4" x 121 3/4" (105 cm x 309 cm) PROVENANCE: Acquired directly from the artist, thence by descent The Tapestry of Filipino Life by Botong Francisco by LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL Botong Francisco was the master of rendering men and their lives larger than either of them, of elevating the commonplace to the spectacular, and in the process, of creating myths and legends. And he did this with the boldest of concepts — by focusing on the minutiae, the beloved, precise but often overlooked details that make the lives of the Filipino everyman, uniquely and particularly his own. In Tinikling No. 2, he records the end of the harvest as a twofaced Janus : On one hand, filled with the jubilation of dance and song but also another cycle of hardwork and discipline. The original owner of this work, the wonder-woman Estafania Aldaba Lim, is recorded by Nick Joaquin to have fallen in love with ballet when she watched a cinematic version of Swan Lake in a Malolos moviehouse as a girl. It’s not surprising that this work that has the Filipino ‘tinikling’ (that must be danced with both grace and skill while hopping between two bamboo poles) would capture her attention. The lead character sways to the sound of an imaginary tune a flower in her hair. It is a theme that Botong would return to, time and again. (‘Tinkling No. 1’, otherwise known as ‘Harvest Festival’ now a lost work, was last seen in the collection of Malacañan Palace, and is dated 1962.) Like that first Tinikling, the harvest ends with the grinding of the grain: two men put their backs to an unseen stone in the background. To the right, are a pair of men and a woman, pounding the rice. with long pestles in a shared mortar called ‘lusong’. Two women on either side of the work wield bilaos (circular flat baskets) to separate the chaff from the lifegiving grain. Another man seems to be gathering sheaves. Surrounding this beehive of activity is the community of Angono brethren: a man strumming a guitar, three others gape entranced, drinking in the flow of life. There are three boys as well as the town elder or shaman or apothecary ‘hilot’ who peers out of a window. (Botong typically portrayed this wizened figure in his paintings, and one suspects this character was a kind of alter-ego for the artist.) There are other figures that enrich this tapestry, peering here and there from the nooks and crannies of the work, another distinctive Botong conceit. The papaya and banana trees endemic to every small town in the Philippines book-end the piece, as do a glass jeroboam and a sleeping dog, a sheathed balisong and a gnarled tree trunk. Interestingly, Botong has included a vignette of what appears to be an artist’s home that we can glimpse through an open window: a candlestick on a dresser, and two paintings. it is, with this singular act of inviting the viewer into his home, Botong has allowed us to enter into his world, through the Kaleidescope of Filipino Life.
Untitled signed (lower left) watercolor on paper 8 1/2" x 11 1/4" (22 cm x 29 cm) In this mixed-media piece by National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco, the artist pays homage to Filipina film producer and businesswoman Narcisa Buencamino-De Leon. Doña Sisang, as she was commonly known, was already a 61-year-old widow when she entered the film industry, and still she had risen through the ranks, bringing her LVN Pictures into national acclaim in post-World War II Philippine cinema. In a series of tableau, Botong portrays the common scenes Doña Sisang brings to life on the big screen. Most commonly known as a muralist, Botong embodies a true artist’s spirit as he continues to expand his horizon. He has occasionally dabbled in other genres, and this work is a fine reminder of his mixed-media works. (Hannah Valiente)
Carlos 'Botong' Francisco (1912 - 1969) c. 1950s Inscribed 'Costume Design for 'Babaeng Tulisan'' (lower right) Watercolor on paper 33.3 x 21.6 cm (13 1/8 x 8 1/2 in) Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued and signed by Victor Puyat, former President of the Botong Francisco Foundation, Makati City
Carlos 'Botong' Francisco (1912 - 1969) c. 1950s Inscribed 'Costume Design for 'Babaeng Tulisan'' (lower left) Watercolor on paper 34 x 22.2 cm (13 3/8 x 8 5/8 in) Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued and signed by Victor Puyat, former President of the Botong Francisco Foundation, Makati City
Carlos 'Botong' Francisco (1912 - 1969) Signed (lower right) and undated (c. 1938) Oil on canvas 71 x 96.5 cm (28 x 38 in) Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued and signed by Victor Puyat, former President of the Botong Francisco Foundation, Makati City National Artist Carlos 'Botong' Francisco was a transformative figure in Philippine art, shifting from the romanticized Amorsolo style to modernism alongside Victorio Edades and Galo Ocampo, thus reshaping Philippine artistic expression. 'Ang Aguinaldo,' an early work by Botong, features a pre-colonial Philippine scene with a pregnant woman and a warrior bowing to a seated leader. The title, meaning "gift" or "present" in Spanish, contrasts with the traditional setting. Created before World War II, this painting reflects Botong's early style and anticipates his later murals. A similar artwork appeared on the back cover of Graphic Magazine's December 1938 Christmas edition. Despite the resemblance, differences in the details suggest that the magazine image and the oil on canvas painting are distinct works. Salcedo Auctions posits that these are variations on the same theme, given Botong's practice of creating similar works in different media. The provenance of 'Ang Aguinaldo' is well-documented. Botong sold it to Gene Cabrera in 1938, who later sold it to Jaime Ledesma in 1975. Ledesma received a Certificate of Authenticity from Demetrio Diego, a prominent artist and collaborator with Botong. Suzano 'Jun' Gonzales, a noted conservator, conducted minimal conservation. In 1979, Multinational Investment Bancorporation acquired the painting through East Asia Corporation for Arts & Antiquities. A recent assessment of the painting by Victor Puyat, former President of the Botong Francisco Foundation, who knew the artist's apprentice Salvador Juban personally, reaffirms the painting's authenticity. Puyat, who has graciously issued a Certificate of Authenticity for 'Ang Aguinaldo' notes that Botong's distinctive technique in depicting the human body is evident and would be challenging to replicate. He adds that the faces in the painting, characterized by soft, roundish features and expressions, align with Botong's known style. While the color palette differs from his later works, he likewise mentions that it is consistent with his early pieces, such as 'Siesta Under the Mango Tree' from 1938, and that the physical condition of the painting, along with its documented provenance, supports its status as a notable early masterpiece by Botong Francisco.
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF A DISTINGUISHED FAMILY a.) The Manila Galleon b.) The Baptism of Rajah Humabon and Reyna Juana c.) Legazpi and Rajah Sulayman Outside Maynila a.) ca.1953 watercolor and pen and ink on paper 9" x 12" (23 cm x 30 cm) b.) signed (lower right) ca.1953 watercolor and pen and ink on paper 9" x 12" (23 cm x 30 cm) c.) watercolor and pen and ink on paper ca.1953 9" x 12" (23 cm x 30 cm) WRITE UP For Gold, God and Glory A Rare Series of Botong Francisco’s Historical Vignettes by E.A. SANTAMARIA It is said that Magellan sailed to claim new lands for what modern historians have called rather artfully as ‘Gold, God, and Glory.’ Those themes are all serendipitously reflected in this rare series of historical vignettes by Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco. In 1953, Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco was commissioned to create a massive work titled “Five Hundred Years of Philippine History” for the Manila World’s Fair. It played directly to his strengths that were focused on creating a powerful iconography of the Filipino built on a pantheon of heroes and heroic events. These three panels deal with subjects familiar to the Botong canon — but also expand the usual narratives. The panel portraying the coming of Christianity, for example, combines a depiction of the conversion of Datu Humabon and the Queen Juana by the expedition’s priest, Pedro de Valderrama with another familiar scene of the burning of the idols. A young warrior raises a seated carving aloft ready to throw it into the flames indicated by an armored Spanish soldier. In the distance, alluding to the future of Catholicism, is the outline of a steepled church, one tower surrounded by scaffolding to suggest that it is still to be built. Among the Filipinos receiving the outstretched blessing are a throng whose tattoos and clothing appear to be based on the Boxer Codex drawings of Visayan nobility. Botong, after all, was renowned for his punctilious research. ‘The Manila Galleon’ panel harks back to the Chinese junks and traders hawking bolts of silk as well as the Spanish galleon being loaded with treasures that are to be found in the 1956 Pageant of Commerce in the collection of the Lopez Memorial Museum. The cloth is unfurled to the bemusement of a bejeweled (and armed) datu and his wife in the foreground. With a few strokes, Botong succeeds in transforming them into the Filipino everyman considering a purchase with his spouse. A third panel shows the conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi confronting the brash Rajah Sulayman outside the palisaded walls of the first and original city of Maynila. It is likewise a theme to be found a decade later in the 1964 opus Filipino Struggles through History enshrined at the Manila City Hall. All three panels have Botong’s inimitable style, including such details as graceful clouds and the lively hubbub of spectators; for it was this National Artist’s aim to bring alive Filipino heroism in all of history’s glorious details.
Bayanihan signed and dated 1968 (lower right) oil on canvas 26" x 34" (66 cm x 86 cm) Accompanied by handwritten note signed by Gertrud Harder on the painting’s provenance. PROVENANCE: Commissioned from the Artist by Herbert and Getrud Harder, Angono, Rizal, 1968. WRITE UP ABOUT THE COLLECTORS : HERBERT AND GERTRUD HARDER OF NEW YORK CITY A bounty of Filipino art can be unearthed in the collection of American ex-patriates who flocked to Manila, a city rising steadily from the ashes of War in the 1950s through the 1960s. These ex- pats were benefactors — as well as beneficiaries — of the city’s thriving arts and artists. One of the most established stars in its firmament was Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco; and one of the American families who would patronize him were the Harders of New York City. Herbert and Gertrud Harder were of German origin and would make their home on posh Fifth Avenue (No. 411 to be exact, at the corner of 37th Street, according to painstaking and detailed research by Isidra P. Reyes who would also uncover their travel records entering Ellis Island) in the 1950s when they would arrive from Frankfurt and later Rotterdam. The Harders would find themselves in Manila in the 1960s, and on a note scribbled on the Times Journal of August 1, 1977 by Gertrud Harder, record their recollection of meeting the famous Botong Francisco and the short history of the painting, “Bayanihan.” Mrs. Harder, in particular, had during her husband’s stay in the Philippines, had befriended Botong and other artists while she lived in Manila. “We have bought from Carlos Francisco (Botong) the “Bayanihan” painting which Herbert had asked him to paint for him when we were in his house in Angono. One of Herbert’s employees, who lived in Angono introduced us to him.” — (signed) Gertrud Harder. The couple would take the work home upon their return to the United States and display it in their home. “We have bought from Carlos Francisco (Botong) the “Bayanihan” painting which Herbert had asked him to paint for him when we were in his house in Angono. One of Herbert’s employees, who lived in Angono introduced us to him.” — (signed) Gertrud Harder.
Carlos V. Francisco (1912–1969) Boy of Angono signed (lower right) ca. 1933 - 1939 oil on canvas 30” x 23” (76 cm x 58 cm) THE BOY OF ANGONO Botong Francisco, Painter of the Filipino Home Town by LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL Before the ascension of Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco as the maker and molder of the heroic, noble Filipino, he was first the chronicler of the Filipino home town and its many lovable characters. ANGONO He was always, first and foremost, after all the most poetic inhabitant of that idealized world. Rafael Ma. Guerrero in his companion citation for Francisco’s National Artist Award, the second to be given in the country, describes his origins in Angono, which lay “some 40 kilometers east of Manila, nestled between the northern tip of Laguna de Bay and the rolling foothills of Rizal. By any standards, Angono is a small town, its population of 4,000, meager in 1973, a once sleeping fishing village that today bears telltale signs of Greater Manila’s encroaching urban explosion.” Botong captured “the limpid rhythm of life in this coastal town”, to be discovered over and over by succeeding generations “dreaming of forgotten folkways and simpler pleasures… for Botong himself once lived in Angono, fished in its waters and camped out on its hills. Mirrored in his works is a kindred nostalgia for a vanished grace, the untutored ease of a people raised on the bounty of the land and the sea; for such is the legacy of the painter who, like them, was himself a dreamer of the native dream.” BOTONG The citation continues, “Among the townsfolk of Angono, he was simply known as “Botong”, a monicker he acquired early in life after an equally dark-skinned Cainta character noted in the provincial grapevine of the Rizal towns by that appellation. Botong’s full name, however, was Carlos Villaluz Francisco and later in life, whenever art patrons and friends from Manila would inquire after him as such, they would be met with stares by the Angono residents. Moreover to his town mates he was known better for his prowess at basketball — a game he enjoyed playing as often as he could — than for his skill with his paintbrush. “As the old adage goes, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy, Botong’s life is impossible to relate apart from the milieu of his hometown; for Angono was as much a part and parcel of the man as his memory is now an enshrined segment of the town lore,” wrote Guerrero. “His father was an ex-seminarian, a degree holder of humanities who, for some private reason, decided to settle in this idyllic fishing village to work her on the
The Golfer signed and dated 2009 (base) brass 26" x 24" x 10" (66 cm x 61 cm x 25 cm) Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot One subject in which the distinct brand of social realism of acclaimed brass sculptor Michael Cacnio revolves is the depiction of childhood bliss. His works exude that kind of delightful nostalgia, capturing a simple time in our lives in which our most significant venture was casually playing and frolicking outside our homes. In an October 26, 2014, Inquirer article titled ‘The Cacnio Legacy,’ Cacnio shares his sentiments on how his childhood and the neighborhood where he grew up primarily influenced his art. “I draw inspiration from my childhood,” Cacnio says. “As the youngest of the family, I was very carefree and playful. I was always out on the streets of Malabon playing the latest popular games.” Furthermore, Cacnio says in an October 14, 2014, Philippine Star article titled ‘Michael Cacnio’s life in brass’: “My work is all about the daily lives of the Filipinos,” he remarks. “Once people see my work, they are reminded of the past. By preserving it, I make people think back and recall past joy and happiness.” Such aim is clearly discerned in this particular piece, titled The Golfer. Through Cacnio’s works, feelings of optimism and hope and the rekindling of the joys of childhood innocence are reaped and fostered. (A.M.)
PROPERTY FROM THE DR. REMEDIOS SUNTAY COLLECTION Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Untitled ca. 1966/1967 hardwood door panel size 19” x 36 1/2” (48 cm x 92 cm) each door: 82” x 47 1/2” x 2 1/2” (208 cm x 121 cm x 6 cm) PROVENANCE Acquired directly from the artist
a) Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Pamilya serigraph 9 1/2” x 9 1/2” (24 cm x 24 cm) b) Virgilio “Pandy” Aviado (b. 1944) Simbahan signed (lower right) gouache 8” x 10” (20 cm x 25 cm)
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Moriones Festival signed and dated 1966 (upper left) oil on canvas 48" x 34" (122 cm x 86 cm) PROPERTY FROM THE ARCH. AND MRS. JORGE RAMOS COLLECTION PROVENANCE Commissioned by Alejandro R. Roces from the Artist; Subsequently acquired from the Collection of Alejandro R. Roces by Arch. Jorge Y. Ramos Listed in the handwritten roster by Salvador Juban, Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco’s assistant, of Botong’s works from 1959 to 1969. LITERATURE Manuel D, Duldulao, The Philippine Art Scene. Vera-Reyes Inc. 1977. Full-color illustration on page 255; and catalogued in the caption description, also on page 255. Born before the War, Jorge Y. Ramos was a child of Old Manila. He would receive his first education at the Burgos Elementary School in Sta. Mesa from 1945 to 1949, moving on to the Mapua Institute of Technology for high school at its campus on Doroteo Jose in Sta. Cruz and finishing in 1953.. He would enroll at the University of Santo Tomas college of architecture, then helmed by Victorio Edades, and each year would reap a gold medal for excellence in design, graduating in 1957. Ramos would receive a scholarship to take an architectural tour of Japan. He would receive various commissions after his return, including the design of the Executive Branch Building of the Philippine Government, Quezon City, Philippines; the home of Sen. Alejandro Almendras in Greenhills, San Juan; the Samson Boats Showroom and Factory in Parañaque; the Mr. Horilleno Residence on Katipunan Avenue, White Plains, Quezon City; and the Carmelo and Bauermann Printing Press and Offices on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Makati. Arch. Ramos would depart to pursue a master’s degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1960. He would join the American firm Kemp, Bunch and Jackson Architectural Office in Jacksonville, Florida; working on such projects as the Jacksonville Civic Auditorium, the Barnett National Bank, the Walt Disney World master plan in Orlando, and the Deerwood Golf and Country Club, among others. In 1963, he would return to teach as a professor of design in his beloved UST; but would soon be busy with many projects including the vice-governor’s office for Benigno Aquino Jr.; the residence and offices of Pedro Cojuangco at Hacienda Luisita; the interiors of the Ang Tibay Shoe Store on Escolta, Manila; duties in Malacañang Palace as decorator for special events; the design of more private residences for the Castañeda, Tiaoqui, Bautista, and Ferrer families; the First United Bank interiors; the Karilagan Finishing School, the Manila Bank Building and the Clavecilla Building; the Central Azucarera Tarlac Building on Ayala Avenue; and the homes of Atty. Napoleon Rama and Jose Cojuangco. By the 1970s, he would be responsible for the design of the Heart Center and the Lung Center; the Quiapo Mosque; the Baguio Convention Center; the Paoay Golf and Country Club; the Luna Brothers Museum in Laoag; McArthur’s Landing Park; the Lungsod ng Kabataan (Children’s Hospital); the Kidney Center, and the renovation of the Philippine General Hospital, to name a few. His many awards included recognition as Cartier Architect of the Year, 1979; Passive Solar Design Award for the Government Service Insurance System Headquarters Building at the World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1982; Key to the City of Los Angeles for The Patronage of the Arts and Architecture Los Angeles, California,; Owens-Corning Excellence in Design and Energy Conservation, New York City, 1983; City of Manila, Architect of the Year, 1983; and University of Santo Tomas’ Outstanding Thomasian Alumnus Award in Architecture, 2001. He would be a member of the Board of Trustees of UST College of Architecture; as well as the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He would also endow the College of Architecture with a perpetual scholarship grant. Arch. Ramos would also be involved in various international projects in Asia and the Middle East. When you talk about provenance — or the record or chronology of a piece of art — there is none more powerful and as rare as having the face of the owner painted into it. Not that this work’s impeccable and distinguished provenance needs it, but it also appears in a handwritten list made by Botong’s dependable assistant, Salvador Juban, of works made during his term from 1959 to 1969, the year of the maestro’s untimely death. The roster, still preserved, contains the entry, “Moriones (Anding).” For such is the case with the work Moriones or Moriones Festival painted by Carlos “Botong” Francisco — and the fellow who commissioned this piece, his friend and ally in the business of making Filipino culture bigger and more outsize, ever more symbolic of all things good about the Philippines, Alejandro “Anding” Roces (1924-2011) One can see Anding Roces himself standing at the top right, as an all-seeing witness, dapper and mustachioed, dressed in a formal shirt and holding just the hint of the outline of a panama hat. Both men were symbol-makers, master iconographers whose vision intersected in the subject of the Filipino fiesta. Roces, the man who had singlehandedly propelled the shift from our independence day from the American Fourth of July to June 12, was a believer in the power of such symbols. He also believed that the Filipino fiesta was a portal to the Filipino soul. In it lay our history but also our national character, cradling our hopes, dreams, foibles and intentions — and therefore our destiny. Both men also believed that to be successful players on the international stage, we need not look further than to ourself, to be nothing more than ourself, and to be true to that self Moriones was painted in 1966. It was a new age of Filipinism, whose stage was set by not least of all, Anding Roces who was Secretary of Education from 1962 to 1965 and Botong, who was enjoying a second wind as the nation’s leading maker of heroic figures. At the time this was created, Botong had been painting for a good thirty years, he was fundamentally established, certainly revered. (A decade or so later, the artwork would be acquired by another man who also participated in creating some of our country’s indelible landmarks, Architect Jorge Ramos, who designed the Heart Center, the Quiapo Mosque, and the Baguio Convention Center among many others.) Anding Roces would also singlehandedly bring to national — and one dares say international attention — the richness of the Filipino fiesta. In particular, he championed two : The Ati-atihan and the Moriones festival of Marinduque. He would thus earn for himself the title, the “National Hermano Mayor”, the term for the fellow who organizes the town fiesta and also foots the bill. Botong was honed by Victorio Edades in the making of magnificent murals. It was Edades who had introduced him to the works of the Mexican master Diego Rivera but it was Botong who would make the masterpieces all his own. This microcosm of the Moriones is an unusual work: First of all because it is easel size — a “grail” picture in its own right, elusive because Botong painted so few of these dimensions; and secondly, even more so because of its vertical composition, when most of Botong’s works sprawl horizontally. One can presume he did so to match the portrait he painted of Anding that he painted a couple of years earlier in 1964, which references not just the Moriones but all his other cultural passions. (These include the pintakasi cockfights, the ritual dances of the Tagbanua tribe of Palawan, and yes, Botong’s very own higantes from the fiesta of his own hometown of Angono.) In a valuable photograph of Anding Roces’ home, immortalized in The Philippine Art Scene (Manuel D. Duldulao, published by Vera-Reyes Inc, 1977) by one sees both of these astonishing works hanging on the same wall like book-ends. The caption reads: “Friendship with Carlos Francisco explains the reason why the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Alejandro R. Roces is strong on Botongs. The hallway shows Francisco’s Execution of Rizal, a study for a mural detail Flute, a portrait of Roces and Moriones, one of the artist’s few easel paintings.” In Moriones, one sees how Botong has been quite inventive in composing his cornucopia of images, a device he used to create perspective as well as a richness of metaphor. Famous for doing his due diligence in researching a subject, Botong had been tinkering with the idea of the Moriones for much of the 1960s : A watercolor sketch form 1962 and in the possession of the GSIS Museum is one of his earliest works on the theme. There is one other, dated 1963 in the collection of the United Coconut Planters Bank; and the pair of works made for Roces from 1964 and 1966. Botong was equally notorious at taking his time to complete a commission. The word moriones, theorized Roces, is believed to be derived from the name of “the visorless, high-crested helmets with turned-up edges” worn by Magellan and the Spanish conquistadors. It might also possibly be a corruption of “centurion”, the Roman officers who commanded a “century” or 100 men, he noted. The Moriones tells the story of one centurion : Longinus of the Holy Spear, the half-blind soldier who pierced Christ’s side at Calvary; where drops of the blood flowing from the Savior’s wound touched his eye and restored his sight. He would thus become a believer and sadly, be beheaded for his conversion. The oneeyed soldier’s mask fallen to the ground conveys that denouement The painting is brimming with many such details of the fiesta, first played out in the mid-1800s by the people of the town of Mogpog, where the observance is said to have been brought by a Jesuit priest from Mexico. Masks carved from coral wood are painted with the round eyes, long noses and full black beards imagined to belong to Roman legionnaires. Horse bristles, painted or otherwise, belts, swords and scabbards, armored breastplates of cardboard and cloth complete the entire passion-play’s illusion. There are many ‘masks’ to be found in this painting: There is Veronica standing at the top, holding the veil that would capture the imprint of Christ’s face; while other characters wear cloth kerchiefs to cover their faces as well. It was traditionally important to keep one’s anonymity in this fiesta; so much so that the practice of distributing numbers to be worn throughout the occasion was supposedly introduced at the time of the Revolution to distinguish the town’s devotees from Katipunan insurrectionists who would enter the town in disguise. (Botong may have found out about this tidbit from Anding’s research: there is a playful sketch of a morion with the letters ‘KKK’ written across his breastplate.) Traditionally, only the number of flowers on their helmets would disclose how many years they had pledged to participate in the proceedings, or how many wishes they longed to be granted. The number ‘2’ in the painting may be a cipher in reference to Botong’s ‘Banda Numero Dos’ which he put together to play at the town’s festivities. (Banda Numero Uno belonged to Levi Celerio, the other famous son of Angono and a fellow national artist.) The central morion is almost identical to the one in Anding’s portrait, both festooned in the stylized clouds of Chinese origin that can be found in ancient santos as well. The masks of several other devotees are strewn about as they kneel, their heads bowed in fervent prayer. They are “unmasked” — in a sense, uncovered, their Filipino-ness revealed. Anding would write in his landmark book Fiesta (Vera-Reyes Inc., 1980) that the Moriones was the event that represented the Filipino most of all: A “brown American hidden by a Spanish mask” said in his most jocular but truthful manner. Ultimately, this painting is about thanksgiving — because the Moriones devotees do not join s as an act of penance but in appreciation of favors received. It is also about trust and belief — as well as that equally elusive thing, the Filipino identity. It is as if both Botong and Anding say in one voice, that we all wear masks to survive in the world — but who is to say if underneath that mask — lies our authentic, true selves, the real Filipino.
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) A Narra Wood Relief Designed by Carlos “Botong” Francisco “Si Malakas at si Maganda” signed 21” x 56” x 2” (53 cm x 142 cm x 5 cm)
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) a) Untitled (Bernardo Carpio) signed (lower center) pen and ink on paper 14 1/2” x 9” (37 cm x 23 cm) b) Warrior Series signed (lower center) ink on paper 15” x 9” (38 cm x 23 cm)
Carlos "Botong" V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Constabulary Officer ca. 1953 oil on plywood (marine) 27" x 34" (69 cm x 86 cm) P 2,000,000 Accompanied by a certificate issued by the National Museum of the Philippines confirming the authenticity of this lot provenance Acquired in 1953 A gift from Mr. Lucio Tan to the family of the present owner exhibited Philippine International Fair, Manila, February 1 - April 30, 1953 (as part of the mural 500 Years of Philippine Progress) Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco was the country’s pre-eminent muralist. And he used this artform to put across not only a vision of a mighty Philippines but also the power of a new artistic movement. Alongside Victorio Edades and Galo Ocampo, he formed a triumvirate to present this new style of painting and persuade the general public of its importance. The mural was the perfect platform. In 1934, he created two : Rising Philippines for Capitol Theater in Manila and Unity of Culture at the Golden Gate Exposition of San Francisco. After the war, he received commissions from Manila Hotel for Pista sa Nayon and Muslim Dance. His cinematic style was also perfect for film backdrops and he created magnificent backdrops and movie posters for director Manuel Conde, such as Siete Infantes de Lara and Genghis Khan. In 1952, he began painting a gargantuan mural titled “500 Years of Philippine Progress” — records show that it was 88 meters long and 8 meters high — for the first-ever world exposition in Southeast Asia, the ambitious Philippines International Fair of 1953. This ran from February 1 to April 30, 1953 and attracted international acclaim. It received a double-spread color feature in Newsweek Magazine. (In the same year, Botong would also paint the enormous pantheon Progress of Medicine for the Philippine General Hospital.) The Fair, according to archivist and popular columnist Danny Dolor of the Philippine Star, was organized by such luminaries as Jose Marcelo, Alfonso Sycip, Eduardo Taylor, Antonio de las Alas, Santiago de la Cruz and J.T. Naylor. In the work at hand, Constabulary Officer, we see the country’s post-war police force in its prime. President Elpidio Quirino had issued an executive order in March 1950 merging the constabulary with the Philippine armed forces. This transferred power of the Philippine Constabulary to the supervision of then-Secretary of National Defense, the charismatic Ramon Magsaysay. It would become the precursor of the Philippine National Police or PNP. It was Magsaysay’s agenda to control the threat of insurgency posed by the fearsome Hukbalahap movement and in this work, the stony-faced soldier is ready for battle in a background of mountains and fields. Constabulary Officer is one of the few remaining fragments of this missing masterpiece from a shining period of Philippine history that remains extant.
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) A Narra Wood Relief Designed by Carlos “Botong” Francisco “Si Malakas at si Maganda” 21” x 56” x 2” (53 cm x 142 cm x 5 cm)
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Katutubong Sayaw, (Philippine Folk Dances) Depicting the Singkil, Pandanggo sa Ilaw, Subli of Batangas, and an Ifugao Ritual Dance 1969 narra wood reliefs each relief: 60” x 24” (152 cm x 61 cm) total size: 60” x 96” (152 cm x 244 cm) PROPERTY FROM THE DR. REMEDIOS SUNTAY COLLECTION Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner, Dr. Remedios G. Suntay Literature: Reyes, D.M., et al. The Life and Art of Botong Francisco . Vibal Foundation. Quezon City. 2010. p. 106. For Carlos ‘Botong’ V. Francisco, there were two forces that dominated his work : The first was an overwhelming, almost obsessive love for the Philippines and the second, his impetus to make it larger, greater, and more dynamic than it had heretofore been portrayed. To embody his country, Botong would create a pantheon of the mythic Filipino from the characters from our ancient history to our most beloved heroes such as Rajah Sulayman, Rizal and Bonifacio. He would also study the cultures of the unconquered tribes of the north and the south in search of the Filipino identity. As a student in the UP School of Fine Arts, Botong would probably have come under the sway of Henry Otley Beyer, head of the anthropology department of the university, which he had single-handedly organized. The museum, which Beyer likewise built, occupied the entire second floor of the UP College of Liberal Arts and was full of anthropological finds from across the country, spears, shields, and tribal clothing. (Incidentally, Botong would never complete his course at the University of the Philippines and would be among the first art superstars who were completely homegrown, adding to his reputation for Filipinism.) For Botong, it was all about ‘the big picture’ and the importance of massive scale to convince, move, and influence. He would start on this journey by creating towering murals in Manila’s film palaces — what better location than movie theaters to evangelize Juan de la Cruz? It was a brilliant strategy and Botong’s works soon became synonymous for the bold, proud Filipino. He would become the country’s pre-eminent muralist, creating commissions for the Manila International Fair of 1953, and the Progress of Medicine for the Philippine General Hospital in the same year; culminating in the Manila City Hall historical pantheon Filipino Struggles through History in 1969. Along the way, he would be tasked to embellish the homes of the rich and powerful, beginning with President Manuel L. Quezon to the Malacañan Palace of the Marcoses. He would also attract a devoted following among Manila’s upper crust and prosperous professionals, including the renowned Dr. Remedios G. Suntay. Dr. Suntay’s grandfather, Jose B. Suntay, was from Hagonoy, Bulacan and had the prescience to invest in vast fish ponds; her mother was a Guevara who lived in San Miguel district and was related to the architect who was involved in the design of some of the buildings of the University of Sto. Tomas. Dr. Suntay, however, would strike out on her own as a pioneering, New York- trained medical practitioner in anesthesiology, eventually becoming one of the biggest private stockholders of one of the country’s top hospitals. Carlos V. Francisco began as her patient and wound up becoming a close friend. “He loved basketball and would complain of all kinds of aches and pains. That’s how we met. I was his doctor. We struck up a friendship and would visit him in his ‘kubo’ (hut) in Angono. He painted in that ‘kubo’,” Dr. Suntay reminisced. When asked what he was like, she replied, ‘May istorya —he had something to say. He was also moody. By that I mean, he wouldn’t paint all the time. It took him a while to finish his works. In fact, he would always tell me that he liked playing basketball far more than he liked to paint.” One afternoon, he turned up with the four magnificent relleves. “It was entirely his idea, but I was very happy to have them,” said Dr. Suntay. I displayed them in my dining room and my friends simply loved them. (There is a photo of one reunion of her classmates from Holy Spirit that captures one of these enthusiastic moments.) In 1969, Carlos V. Francisco was at the height of his powers and at the zenith of his career. Botong would have a long tradition of depicting Filipino fiestas and celebrations, beginning with his magnificent Pista sa Nayon and Muslim Feast, both dated 1947 and in the Malacañan Museum Collection. In Pista, a couple agilely dances the tinikling. It is so graceful and eloquent that you can almost hear the clatter of the bamboo poles amid the music of the town band and a kundiman singer. In the companion Feast, a southern princess sways to the rhythm of the kulintang; to her right is a tableau from the mountain provinces of northerners, palms upturned, captured in a ritual harvest dance. The exuberant theme of Katutubong Sayaw (or Philippine Folk Dances) is thus a most familiar one for Francisco. There are two recorded works — almost identical to these pieces — that are featured in the book, The Life and Art of Botong Francisco, edited by Patrick Flores. These pen and ink drawings are most probably studies for the finished product. Botong’s wife, Nena, was from Paete and she had instigated Botong’s wood-carving projects. The work at hand is bookended by the Singkil of the Maguindanao. A princess unfurls the giant fans meant to symbolize the flutter of butterflies, under a royal umbrella. Botong has covered the piece with the symbolic okir and gong. On the other end of the reliefs are three Ifugaos dancing in the shadow of a cloud-covered mountain. They wear ceremonial belts and blades. There is a drum and the silhouette of a carabao, the animal offered in the blood rituals. Their hands are turned heavenward in a symbol of supplication. It is also the only panel featuring an all-male performance in keeping with tribal codes. The two panels in the center feature the comely dalagang Filipina. One is in the country dress of kimona (the short-sleeved, abbreviated blouse) and the other, be-hatted and brandishing clackers, in a more shapely bell-sleeved frock. One muse dances in front of gracefully curved banana leaves, carefully balancing lit candles on her head and hands; the other, with curly- edged bamboo as a backdrop. These depict the pandanggo sa ilaw (fandango of lights) and the subli of Batangas, a fiesta for the Holy Cross, respectively. This is the fun-loving but unstoppably patriotic Botong, who found the beauty of the Philippine in the life and culture that surrounds us — and captured its splendor to remind us of that immutable fact.
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Diwata (The Diwata giving fortune to the man, winning the lottery) signed (bottom) Watercolor on paper 17" x 10 1/2" (43 cm x 27 cm) National Artist Carlos “Botong" V. Francisco is simply drawn to anything Filipino, contributing immensely to the country’s rich iconography and sense of nationalism. He is known not just for his awe-inspiring murals but also for his depictions of subjects widely recognized by Filipinos, from the common folk to popular characters in Philippine myth and folklore. This work, for instance, features Botong’s depiction of a beautiful, graceful woman likened to a diwata or goddess, also with a man seemingly performing a traditional dance. It is a distinct rendition out of Botong’s attention to detail and focus on tradition, giving the viewer a glimpse of his particular way of looking at familiar subjects in the process of creating folk art.
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Tikbalang signed (bottom) ca. 1950 watercolor on paper 11” x 16” (28 cm x 41 cm) Leon Gallery wishes to thank Mr. Salvador Juban for confirming the authenticity of this lot Estimate: USD $1400-$1820 Euros €1166.66-€1516.66
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Bernardo Carpio signed (bottom) watercolor on paper 14” x 9” (36 cm x 23 cm) Legend has it in Philippine mythology that Bernardo Carpio is the cause of earthquakes. There are many versions of the tale on Bernardo Carpio, from the stories and long narrative poem—said to be written by Huseng Sisiw or Jose dela Cruz—to the movie and play. He is said to be handsome and have extraordinary bravery and strength, to the envy of the creature in the forest who plotted a plan on how to dethrone him from fame. National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco depicted this character through his drawings and illustrations, published in This Week Magazine together with the story translated by B.S. Medina Jr. The Tikabalang, on the other hand, is a testament of how drawn Botong is to anything Filipino, of his nationalism Estimate: USD $1200-$1560 Euros €1000-€1300
Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969) Tikbalang signed (bottom) Ca. 1950 watercolor on paper 11” x 16” (28 cm x 41 cm) Estimate USD $2000-$2600 Estimate Euros €1666.66-€2166.66
Carlos Villaluz Francisco (Filipino, 1912-1969), Untitled (Returning Home), serigraph, pencil signed lower right, edition 72/200, image: 9.75"h x 11.25"w, overall (with frame): 16.25"h x 20.25"w
Carlos V. Francisco , (1912 - 1969), a) Tikbalang b) Nuno sa Punso, a) signed (bottom) b) signed (bottom), a) watercolor on paper b) watercolor on papera) 16” x 10 1/2” (41 cm x 27 cm) b) 16” x 10 1/2” (41 cm x 27 cm) , León Gallery wishes to thank Mr. Salvador Juban for confirming the authenticity of this lot
