Rediscovered art gem’s curious past
The NMP has never filed a claim on the bust despite its existence being public knowledge for a long time. An in-depth article in a broadsheet was even written about it.
A fascinating tale forms the backdrop of the "Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio," withdrawn from a public auction yesterday that may be a prelude to a possibly long process to establish a claim.
The National Museum of the Philippines, or NMP, as custodian of the country's heritage works, is considering the recovery of the Filipino treasure.
Salcedo Auctions announced on Saturday the withdrawal of the sculpture from "The Well-Appointed Life" sale.
It said the bust's owner agreed to withhold the bust from the bidding as a gesture of "goodwill."
A spokesperson, however, lamented that the NMP had never filed a claim on the bust despite its existence being public knowledge for a long time. An in-depth article in a broadsheet was even written about it.
Only after the auctioneer was able to authenticate the piece of art did the NMP stake its claim to it, according to the auction house.
The Fundación Mariano Benlliure assisted Salcedo Auctions in authenticating the Luna bust. The artwork has a deep history.
Its creator, Mariano Benlliure y Gil, was a Spanish sculptor noted for his many public monuments celebrating notable Spanish figures, such as the ones of King Alfonso XII in Madrid and Queen Isabel la Católica in Granada.
Benlliure, a friend of the Filipino patriot, was known as the last master of 19th-century realism; careful executions of everyday events and persons characterized his sculptures.
In the pursuit of his dream to become a painter, Luna sailed for Europe in 1877.
A year later, he accompanied his mentor, Alejo Vera, to Rome as his assistant. There, Luna made the acquaintance and friendship of Benlliure and his brother, Juan Antonio, and Spanish pensionados who were in Rome at the time for their studies.
When Vera departed for home, Luna stayed behind and joined the Benlliures in an apartment on Via Marguita, where many other struggling artists lived. Theirs would be a lifelong and loyal friendship, with Luna painting a portrait of Lucrecia Arana, the sculptor's wife, one of the most famous zarzuela singers of the time.