309. A PRIVATE COLLECTOR'S TREASURE-TROVE OF SANTOS

In one of the exclusive villages in Makati is the residence of a private collector--an academician,  translator, author and professor, who has cultivated a taste for fine Philippine antiques. A fellow Kapampangan, I met this getntleman at our cultural study center, which attracts many scholars of history and cultural heritage workers like him. I had the privilege of being invited to his home, where I had a peek at his modest collection of local sacred art. These are mostly santos that run the range from folk to classical, simple to ornate, wood to ivory. Just look at the treasures that his house holds: 

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 A small, ivory Nino with a dressed manikin body, and housed in its own urna.This must have been a part of a Holy Family tableau.

 A folksy trio representing the Holy Family. The heads and hands are made from carved bone. The santos have primitive bodies with wire armature arms. In their original embroidered satin dresses.

 A very small polychromed Bohol Virgin with a replaced ivory head and hands, standing on a cloud base carved with cherubs. It is housed in an equally colorful urna.

 This is a large Santo Nino, darkened and reddened with age. Outfitted with glass eyes, it has a clownish expression and the carving style has a distinct folksy feel.

 I helped the collector acquire this beautiful  3-foot image of the Immaculate Conception by introducing him to an office mate whose fiance's family once ran an antique shop in Greenhills that has since closed down. Despite the crack on the body, the carving of this figure, and its original encarna, are superb.

 A wooden, painted icon of the Holy Trinity. It is painted on a thin, wooden board. Bohol provenance.

 This century-old processionl head of a Cristo for an Agony in the Garden tableau is an outstanding piece, finely carved with details like the high cheekbones, exposed teeth, deep nostrils, and the fine strands of hair on his beard,

 Crucified Christ rendered in ivory, hangs on a hardwood cross outfitted with silver accessories: cantoneras (finials), YNRI, rayos, Christ's potencias, and tapiz. Ot is housed in a glass dome (virina).

 A primitive Sacred Heart of Jesus. The moonface-figure has very little details as seen from the simple drapes on his vestment.

 Another wonderful example of a polychromed Virgen from Bohol enshrined in her own nail-less urna or altar, painted with still-vibrant colors.

 A forlorn-looking Christ the King figure seated on his thrown, missing a scepter and a crown.Such figures are enthroned in family homes, often in the living room.

 Sleeping Santo Nino in ivory. prized in many Filipino homes, Heirloom Nino Dormidos are often passed from generation to generation.

 A naif carving of San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers and laborers. This small santo,with its trademark polychrome painting,  comes from Bohol.

A well-carved crucifix, with the corpus of Christ in wood. The dead Christ wears a silver loincloth, and his head sports silver tres potencias and a crown of thorns. The end finials of the cross plus the YNRI, are all made of silver.

235. CARU-CARUHAN DE BINANGONAN: Santos in Miniature

MINIATURE TERCERA CAIDA (third fall of Christ). 

In Binanongan, Rizal, miniature statues of saints take center stage instead of the usual life size ones. This recalls the religious tradition in Colombia, where children process their own child-size santos.

AGONY IN THE GARDEN (Nanlumo)

This relatively-new Binanongan tradition is called "caru-caruhan" (play carrozas), and it is held during the Lenten season. It began sometime in the 1980s, when children began imitating the Holy Week tradition of bringing out images for the annual Lenten ritual.

JESUS AND STA, VERONICA

Along Regidor St., the children would parade their homemade santos made of sticks, cloth and other available materials. Over the years, the image became more sophisticated, well-made and life-like,

SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR

The wooden tabletop  images are small, no more than 20 inches tall, and are outfitted and arrayed in embroidered vestments and metalworks. There are single representations of Lenten characters as well as tableaus.

JESUS  MEETS HER MOTHER MARY

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The little santos have their own mini "andas" on which they are borne during the procession. The event is highly organized, and there is even a cofradia dedicated to propagating the devotion and practice in the hope of instilling religiosity among the youths.

ECCE HOMO

The group plans the program, including the Wednesday procession that culminates in the gathering of the santos depicting scenes from the passion of Christ in an exhibit hosted by the St. Ursula Church.

CHRIST RECEIVING HIS CROSS

This unusual tradition lives on in Binanongan where it is also known as the Caro-carohan de Regidor to honor its place of origin.

STA, VERONICA

It has become a popular tradition, regularly covered by the media, and visited by local tourists and devotees, who delight in watching the miniature santos as well as the spirited display of devotion of Binangonan youths.

STA. POTINA

Featured here are representative images from the 2008 procession, taken by Holy Week photo documentarian Dr.Raymund Feliciano.

STA. SALOME

151. CASA DE SANTOS: From a Buy and Sell Ad to a Trove of Sacred Treasures

Incredible how a simple ad posted on a free classified advertising paper—Buy and Sell Philippines—can lead me to a treasure house of antique santos in a nondescript San Juan neighborhood. It had  been my habit to scan the antique section of the weekly issue of Buy and Sell Philippines, and in 2005, one particular ad caught my attention. It was from a seller from San Juan, advertising a set of antique processional santos which she wanted sold as a lot for a whopping Php 475,000.

I am not easily deterred by such big ticket prices, as I had taken note that the ad had been appearing in previous issues for quite some time now, with no apparent takers. With nothing to lose, I ended up visiting the Seller's place, which turned out to be a small accessoria that had a narrow flight of stairs leading to the second floor residential area.

When she opened the door, a heavenly assemblage of large santos greeted me, two standing on the floor, another on top of a mesa altar. I couldn’t believe my eyes---here before me were three, beautifully carved images of Sta. Maria Salome, a complete San Isidro Labrador and a kneeling Cristo for an Agony in the Garden tableau. The dealer then recounted that these were owned by a family who had recently migrated to Canada. She was left with the task of selling these images as they could no longer take care of them.

One by one, I checked them out, noting their original outfits, the carving style and the patina of age. The image of Sta. Salome was particularly appealing; she had her original wig and was wearing her old rhinestone jewelry. Her censer though was missing. She was a tall santa, perhaps 54 inches tall, with a complexion that has become kayumanggi with age. What struck me upon seeing her were her pair of large, expressive eyes which, at one point, looked slightly cross-eyed ('banlag').

 

Next to her was a very large kneeling Cristo for an Agony in the Garden tableaux. This image had well-carved features, right down to the noodle-like strands of His full beard. It had a hallowed-out body to make it lighter when carried during processions. The only negative points were the hands--which seemed like replacements, and the absence of the Angel, which has long since disappeared.

The last of the santos was a complete San Isidro Labrador, which, although smaller (48 inches), had a fairly large base that had all the attributes present--the plowing angel with the cattle, and the kneeling landlord. The cattle was moulded from escayola or plaster of Paris.

I had to keep my emotions in check after assessing the santos, deferring my negotiations for another time, another visit. But my wonderment never ceased at the thought that, in this little accessoria, past a narrow, dingy eskinita lined with  intoxicated tambays lost in their drinking sprees, was this roomful of sacred treasure, precious santos, uncared for and forgotten, waiting for their next generous owner to come along.

(POSTSCRIPT: After much haggling, i finally got the Agony Cristo, which I felt was the best of the lot. I would have wanted to bring home Sta. Salome too, but my budget was good only for one santo. I was later told that Sen. Jamby Madrigal, whose mother was a formidable santo collector, snapped up both the Salome and the San Isidro santos. Today, I have fully restored this Agony Cristo, complete with His Angel, and the whole ensemble is processed annually in my home city of Mabalacat during the Lenten festivities)