Salcedo Auctions launches its mid-year auction, a live and online event, on June 25. Dubbed as Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine & Rare Collectibles, it will auction off a little over 100 pieces, including rare works by Filipino masters, vintage furniture pieces, fine bone china and a rare Rolex Cosmograph Daytona.
The usual suspects, so to speak, such as Amorsolo, Magsaysay-Ho, Ang Kiukok and BenCab will be there. Well, at least, their works will. Joining them are works of newer artists as well as vintage furniture pieces, fine bone china, silverware, even wearable timepieces.
Whether seeking to capture an idyllic world, deliver a social message, experiment with color and brushwork in a captivating landscape, or showcase the summit of artisanal and horological craftsmanship, the over 100 exceptional works being offered at Salcedo Auctions’ forthcoming Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles auction, set to take place live and online on Saturday, 25 June 2022 at 2PM, stands as a testament to the caliber of quality that the country’s premier auction house constantly pursues.
The quest of the ideal inspires the pursuit of this year’s auction, thoughtfully assembled by Salcedo’s team of specialists. The “finest” include a large and stunning Anita Magsaysay-Ho painting documented in Alfredo Roces’ monograph In Praise of Women, a rare and important 1969 mixed media oeuvre from National Artist BenCab’s Scavenger series from the artist’s acclaimed London period, a powerful and iconic Ang Kiukok, himself a National Artist, dated 2002 from a renowned Asian collection and a 1933 oil on canvas fisherman’s family scene by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.
That’s not all, as this latest auction also features a rare 18th century gargoyle dinemonyo altar table in balayong, as well as a vintage collectible Rolex Cosmograph Daytona timepieces, Cartier fine bone china and Christofle sterling silver.
Magsaysay-Ho’s legacy in the definition and development of modern Philippine art is as unquestionable and unwavering as the love for nation and celebration of womanhood that she clearly manifests in her paintings. 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 fulfillment in these idyllic worlds they share with other women.
Referred to as the Scavenger series, BenCab’s 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.
Colloquially known as dinemonyo table, this example is one of the most elusive pieces of early Hispano-Filipino furniture, considered arguably as a pinnacle object for many serious furniture collectors and connoisseurs. The craftsmanship and condition of this table is 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 being the rare and collectable vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Big Red” Sigma Dial, 37mm, Circa 1979. A survey of the lineup of supporting lots shows pieces that appeal to those with who are passionate quality and legacy-making.
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 showing his mastery of the medium.
The Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles live and online auction will take place online on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 2 p.m.. Register to bid and browse the catalog at salcedoauctions.com. The auction preview begins on Thursday, 9 June and runs daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. For inquiries, email info@salcedoauctions.com or phone +632 8 8230956 | +63 917 591 2191. Follow @salcedoauctions on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
