Another "missing" heritage item involving Juan Luna has resurfaced and it was set for public auction today had not the National Museum requested a halt to the sale of the bronze bust of the national hero.

Last June, in time for the country's 125th Independence Day celebration, Luna's long-lost painting "Hymen, oh Hyménée!" was put on exhibit at the Ayala Museum until the end of the year.

Last seen in public 132 years ago in Paris, "Hymen" was part of the "Splendor: Juna Luna Painter as Hero" exhibit, an art piece considered by many collectors as the "holy grail of Philippine art."

But this time around, the object of controversy is a "masterpiece" with no less than the renowned artist made famous by his mural the "Spoliarium" as the subject.

The Luna sculpture has been missing for the past 78 years and was presumed to have been lost forever.

Salcedo Auctions had vouched for its authenticity following a rigorous vetting process.

It said it halted the sale of the "Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio" crafted by Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure after the bust's present owners granted a request by the National Museum to hold the sale in abeyance.

The Luna bust should have been part of the Well-Appointed Life sale scheduled today, 16 September.

Salcedo Auctions said in a statement that since the owners' acquisition of the art piece, there had been no claims of ownership by the National Museum or any other private or public institution.

'Proud, honored'

This was "despite the fact that it had been featured on the cover of Chronicle Magazine in 1967, and was cataloged by the Filipinas Heritage Library." Hence, the decision to put the bust up for auction, it said.

"We are proud and honored to have played a crucial role in bringing out to the art community the existence of a Philippine treasure, and an important part of our national patrimony," Salcedo Auctions chairman and chief specialist Richie Lerma said.