372. VEGA COLLECTION OF SANTOS, by Rosario M. Querol

 Originally published in The Weekly Nation, 29 May 1967, Art & Literature page

FULGENCIO "Fulgie" VEGA JR.

According to history, the first religious image found in the Philippines was that of the Santo Niño which was discovered on April 28, 1565 by Juan de Camus, a sailor in Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s ship. Camus came upon it I one of the village homes; it was kept in a small pine box. This image is venerated as the Miraculous Santo Niño de Cebu, the 300^th anniversary of whose discovery coincided with the celebration of the 300^th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines in 1965.

Definitely of Chinese craftsmanship is the sleeping Niño. He is made of gleaming ivory, has a gold cap and matching sandals. Nine inches long, it lies in a miniature bed in the Vega bedroom. It was acquired in Cebu.

While the Santo Niño of Cebu is believed to be Dutch in origin, the other early santos found in the country must have been carved in Spain and in the Latin-American countries. As Christianity spread in the islands, local craftsmen—Chinese and Filipinos—wrought their own peculiar characteristics in their carvings.

A close-up of San Miguel Arcangel 

Most sought after is the St. Michael atop the devil. It is so rare that it commands a steep price. Some of the St. Michaels in the Vega Collection depict different interpretations of the saint.

Aside from the professional craftsmen’s santos, there were those crude primitive statues carved by amateurs for their own little altars at home. Hundreds of years later, these primitive santos proved to be more interesting to antique art collectors than the commercial ones.

Considered  rare items are images of the Holy Trinity, the carvings of which were finally prohibited by the Catholic Church in 1928. These were crude interpretations ; the one at left stands 13 inches; the bigger one is 20 inches. Both are from Panay island.

The development of the santos in the Philippines followed closely the path of the Christianization of the country. The Santo Niño of Cebu was the precursor of other images brought to the islands by other Spanish expeditionary groups and copied by local artisans. The island of Panay is believed to be where the design patterns originated.

Standouts in the Vega collection are this unknown santo (L) from Molo, Iloilo, best known as the Parian of the South; and a Juan Bautista ( R ). The unidentified santo is dressed is dressed in the Chinese style , featuring a Mandarin collar, traditional tunic and cap. San Juan Bautista has clothes designed with intricate lattice pattern and is painted green. Both images are 15 inches tall.

The santos may not be considered strictly as works of art, but their value lies in their being relic of Philippine cultural and religious heritage. One of the most avid colectors of santos is Fulgencio Vega Jr. of Bacolod City, who has a B.S. in Foreign Service and is completing his MA in English at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo. The Vega home is a veritable museum of antique santos. On this page are some of the rare santos in the Vega collection.

Rare images of God the Father and Son sitting in judgment, from the Negros Occidental area. Next to them is an intricately carved Virgin Mary with its front apronlike panel done in silver, its pedestal carved with angels’ heads—from Aklan. At left, Our Lady of Salvation wears a sleek hat.