363. COMPLETING CULAS: An FB Marketplace Santo Gets Restored

The idea of buying antiques from a Philippine online shop is  unthinkable for many, because assessing their authenticity can be tricky just by looking at photos—you can’t touch a santo, feel its weight, inspect its real condition. You also have to deal with reproductions, dubious fakes, and scammers!

But there are times when nice, genuine santos pop up every now and then on online sites run by reputable sellers, piquing my interest. One such example was this Recoleto SAN NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO wooden figure standing on an ochovado base, found on FB Marketplace.

Recoleto santos are among my favorite collectibles because my “pueblo” was actually evangelized by Recollect saints. Of the 4 provinces of the Recollect Order, one is named as the Province of San Nicolas de Tolentino, created in 1621. Seven friars, led by Fray Andres San Fulgencio first came to the future Mabalacat in 1711, and found a forest settlement inhabited by a community of Aetas, headed by one named Garagan. The saint  also holds a special meaning to me as a Kapampangan since the renown pasalubong biscuit from Pampanga was named after him--“saniculas”. 

The seller sent me more pictures for my perusal, and I was told that it had come from Panay. The 14 inch. San Nicolas reminded me of some Puerto Rican santos where the carving tends to be sharp and angular, with unsmoothed edges and corners, as evidenced by the chiselling of the drapes on the santo’s habit, fingers, sandals, and the 8-sided base.

The Recollect belt clearly identifies the santo, who, a one point must have held his attributes, now missing—a dish on where a dying partridge bird rested which he  miraculously revived upon feeding from his plate. His right had would have held a crucifix garlanded with lilies, to symbolize his purity. This particular hand is an obvious replacement as it was disproportionately bigger than the left.

There are rectangular patches of gold-leafing in his black habit. The painter probably intended to cut and shape these gold patches into stars, which are also his emblems. Legend has it that stars guided him to Tolentino, near his place of birth.

Paint flaking was noted on the base, and the face of the santo. There was a hairline crack running from the waist to the hem of the santo’s habit which has started to open.

After carefully assessing the condition of this folk santo, I decided to complete it by reconstructing its missing elements. But before I could do that, I had to attend to the more pressing concerns:

First, I filled the hairline crack with plastic wood, which was like a wood putty with the consistency of glue, used in repairing flaws on wood. 

Once hardened, the crack was sealed and the filling was painted black. The paint losses on the face and the base were fixed with acrylic paints.

Now, I could go to replacing the missing attributes. First—the missing halo. This was supposed to be the easiest to do, since I keep all sorts of old metal santo accessories, but it turned out the round, brass halos I have are so big.

Then I remembered a pair of round, calado earrings that I wisely bought from a tiangge years before—because they reminded me of santo halos!! So I just added a wire in the center to form an umbrella type of halo, called “paragua”, that I stuck into a ready-made hole on the top of the santo’s head

A plain wooden cross would have been an acceptable replacement for the santo’s missing crucifix. But I found a tiny wooden crucifix  with the metal corpus of Christ and aluminum cantoneras that was actually a remnant of a rosary. I just shaped the end so that it could fit into the grasp of the santo’s hand.

The miniature bird on the platter was more challenging to recontruct. The plate was fashioned from a metal cap (tansan) that I flattened with a hammer. To remove the rubber seal and the brand name ( I used a Red Horse tansan!), I just heated the crown until it looked blackened with age. The “plate” was then pegged on the open left palm of the figure. I ran thru some 5 tansans before I was satisfied with the result.

I have saved the bird for last, because I know this would give me a hard time, To be true to the wooden figure, I attempted to carve a bird, no more than a quarter of an inch long, using balsa wood. But the wood kept on cracking even when I was using an Exacto knife. I gave up after 2 tries.

Then,  I came up with the idea of molding a small bird from plastic wood I used before. I thought it would turn clay-like when it’s drier, but the shape did not hold. Then I tried papier mache, using fine paper pulp from tissue paper and white glue—the result was a sad-looking lump, not a bird.

Finally, I called on a lifeline—a friend and an artist who made miniature dioramas. How could I forget Dodjie Aguinaldo!  So, based on my instructions,  he made me a miniscule quail (pugo) bird, hand-molded from air-dried clay, just 1.5 cm. long. I just painted it after, lacquered it, and set it on top of the tansan plate—a perfect fit!

As a finishing touch, I found an old cast-iron, patinated salvage, once part of a decorative applique for a door, perhaps. I nailed it on the front of the base to make it look remotely like a carroza frontal.

With his completion, SAN NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO, patron of souls in purgatory, has just become my favorite Recollect in my santos grouping which I fondly call my “Re-Collection.”

MANY THANKS TO:

Mr. LOUIE ASINAS, for the smooth, seamless deal on the santo, for your patience in answering my uestions,  and for the photos.

Mr. DODJIE AGUINALDO, for creating the clay bird for this santo

317. SAN NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO, A Folk Ensemble

The visionary and wonder worker San Nicolas de Tolentino (b. c. 1246/d. 10 Sep. 1305, canonized in 1446) played such an important part in the religious history of the Philippines.  The mission province of the Augustinian congregation was created in Madrid in November 1621.  When the last wave of missionaries arrived in the country in 1606—the Augustinian Recollects ---they also named their “provincia” after the good saint. The ‘Recoletos’ ministered in the uncharted regions of Zambales and Upper Pampanga

SAN NICOLAS 1. Height: 18"

Originally thought to be a San Antonio, this heft santo wears the trademark Augustinian cincture, which certainly identifies it as San Nicolas. The well-carved santo sits on an 8-sided ochovado base with traces of floral painting on the front panel. races of gilding on the hems and edges of the santo's habit.

For some two hundred years, the Philippines was a primary “misión viva” of the province, which made possible the opening of seminaries in the country. By the nineteenth century, the Recollects gained greater socio-religious significance in the country, and the conversion and evangelization of Negros was the zenith of their achievements.

It is no wonder that so many San Nicolas images were made in the country, thousands carved by untrained Filipino artisans, to be enshrined on humble home altars for veneration and adoration. Four different San Nicolas antique carvings from my collection are shown on this page, to illustrate the varied styles and visual interpretations of Filipino santeros of long ago.

SAN NICOLAS 2: Height: 17 1/2"

A very folksy santo with not much carving details. But the charm lies in its folksy character. Nonetheless, the overextended sleeves of the Augustinian habit are accurately captured in this santo.

His life story struck a chord with Filipinos who prayed for him to work miracles—in the same way that the vegetarian saint, who, upon being served a roasted partridge on a plate, brought the bird back to life by making the sign of the cross. This gave rise to his popular iconography that shed on the rim, shows him in his black Augustinian habit, holding a plate with a bird perched on the rim, and a cross in his other hand.

SAN NICOLAS 3, Height: 14"

This slimmed-down version of San Nicolas is handsomely carved and stands on an ochivado base. He has a downcast gaze, and his rigid pose is broken by his one foot that steps forward, Traces of gilt, including the outline of a star on his chest, which is one of his attribute--in reference to the guiding star that led him to Tolentino.

The ‘saniculas” cookie tradition that remains to be popular in Pampanga can be traced to an episode in the saint’s life when San Nicolas became emaciated after a long fast. The Virgin Mary and San Agustin came to him in a vision, and they told him to eat a cross-marked bread. He did so and he recovered. He then distributed these ‘St. Nicholas’ bread among the sick, who were miraculously cured of their illness. Instead of crosses, the ‘saniculas’ is imprinted with the figure of the saint.

In Banton, Romblon, a church built in the 16^th century is dedicated to him, and his feast day during the annual Biniray festival. In Pampanga, a 440-year-old Augustinian church, was founded in his honor in 1575. The massive, heritage church houses a second-class relic of San Nicolas that is venerated after the Tuesday mass.

SAN NICOLAS 4: Height: 11"

This is the smallest among the Santos Nicolas in my possession, and also one of my first santos. This small folk santo has a long, narrow head that sits on a small, short body. It bears traces of paint, and is remarkably complete, save for a missing hand and a plate. Bought in Baguio in the early 80s, it comes from Ilocos.

A San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church, built in 1584, can also be found in Cebu City, one of the oldest in the country. San Nicolas is also recognized as the titular patron of the cathedral of Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija—the site of Gen. Antonio Luna’s assassination. He is also the ‘pintakasi’ of Lambunao and Guimbal (Iloilo), Surigao City, Capas (Tarlac), Buli and Cupang (Muntinlupa), San Nicolas (Ilocos Norte) and La Huerta (Parañaque).

His patronage also extends to animals and babies, mariners, sailors and watermen (he saved 9 passengers on a ship that was about to go down), dying people and  holy souls.

SOURCE:
Nicholas of Tolentino:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_of_Tolentino

222. WHERE HAVE ALL THE SANTOS GONE? part II

IMMACULATE TRANSACTION. This spectacular Immaculate Conception of over 3 feet, appeared for sale on ebay from dealer "robacus" or "losantiguos", who was allegedly involved in church theft sometime in 2003-04.. The case was later dismissed.

This spread of fabulous santos appeared on the ebay page of Rory Bacus, who sold antique santos under the name "robacus" and "losantiguos". After some objects were found in his house, the Cebu archdiocese sued the dealer for fencing various religious artifacts in October 2003.

In April of the next year, a decision was handed down by the Cebu Regional Trial Court dismissing the case against Bacus.

Regional Trial Court Judge Ireneo Lee Gako Jr., in a Feb. 20 order, exonerated  Bacus of the charges of violating the Anti-Fencing Law. The court also ordered the release of 278 religious icons and artifacts to Bacus.

The dismissal of the case greatly disappointed Church officials who expressed their disgust over the outcome of the case. Fr. Carlito Pono, head of the Commission on the Cultural Heritage of the Church, admitted that while some of the parishes that reportedly lost icons had refused to cooperate, others could not find any evidence to prove ownership of the stolen items.

While the case was dragging, Bacus returned to eba,  although this time around, his posted items were smaller, primitive santos--the kinds one can readily find in downtown Manila antique shops.

Ninos, such as these, obviously carried by bigger santo figures like San Antonio, Virgen del Rosario, etc. were also listed on ebay. Some were sold, others withdrawn for sale even after a winning bid had been placed. The dealer sent explanatory messages to the effect that the item had been sold in an antique fair and that he had forgotten.

The noted antique dealer, Rory Bacus, passed away, sometime in 2013. The whereabouts of his remaining antique santo stock remains unknown.

189. Miracle Monk: SAN NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO

MIRACLE MONK. An almost lifesize image of San Nicolas de Tolentino from a Pampanga town is shown dressed, and ready for his procession, in this ca. 1970s photo,

San Nicolas de Tolentino (St. Nicholas of Tolentine) is a popular patron of many Philippine towns and cities in the Philippines--like San Nicolas (Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Batangas), Macabebe (Pampanga), Talisay (Cebu),  Banton (Romblon), Dimlao (Bohol) and Surigao City, among others. The Recollect missionaries, who came to the Philippines in May 1606, are credited with propagating the devotion to this thaumaturgist. The Augustinian Recollect Province in the Philippines is known as the province of San Nicolas de Tolentino.

Born in 1245 in Sant'Angelo, San Nicolas got his name from St. Nicholas of Myra, at whose shrine his parents prayed to have a child. Nicholas became a monk at 18, and was ordained as a priest,  seven years later. He became a well-known preacher and a confessor.

Around 1274, he was sent to Tolentino, near his birthplace. The town suffered from a civil feud between the Guelphs, who supported the pope, and Ghibellines, who supported the Holy Roman Emperor, in their struggle for control of Italy. Nicolas was primarily a pastor to his flock, tending the poor and the criminals.

As a wonder worker, he is said to have cured the sick with bread over which he had prayed to Mary, the mother of God. The "panecillos de saniculas", in the Philippines, is a cookie made from arrowroot, which is often given to sick people, in the belief that it will improve their wellness. The cookies undergo a ritual blessing before they are distributed.

San Nicolas died in 1305 after a long illness and was canonized by Pope Eugene IV in 1446. His iconography shows him wearing the black habit of the Hermits of Saint Augustine, with a star above him or on his breast. Some show his habit studded with stars. His emblems include a cross and a plate on which a roasted partridge was miraculously revived to life.

He is involed against fires and is the patron saint of the dying, sick animals, souls in Purgatory, babies and mothers. His Feast Day is September 10.

51. Before & After: RESTORATION PROJECTS OF TOM JOVEN

Tom Joven, the most accomplished ecclesiastical artist of Pampanga, has been at the forefront of major restoration projects for churches not only in his native Bacolor but also in other places of worship all over the Philippines. Joven's expertise has been sought by parishes from Luzon to the Visayas, and his original works are prized by the country's most formidable collectors of sacred art. A few rare creations in ivory have also been presented as gifts to high ranking church dignitaries from here and abroad.

Here, he shares with us some fine examples of his restoration projects:

The wooden image of San Nicolas Tolentino in one of the retablos of San Guillermo Parish in Bacolor was heavily damaged during the lahar inundation of the town, which almost buried the ancient church.

Joven performed a laborious 6-step process in restoring the antique image that included stripping the multiple paint layers, sealing, re-priming and painting.

Our Lady of Good Success (Virgen de Buen Suceso) is a centuries-old image brought by Augustinians to Palanyag (now Paranaque) as a gift of the King of Spain to Filipinos. It is now housed in St. Andrew's Church and is known today as the "Patroness of Paranaque City". It is one few Virgins that have received the Canonical Crown in 8 September 2000. Joven was commissioned to restore this important image, inlcuisve of its vestments, and the results are shown in the pictures above.

The church of San Guillermo was heavily damaged in the succeeding lahar flows that engulfed the town after the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption. Lahar almost buried the magnificent retablos of the old church, which eventually were recovered and restored to their full glory by Joven, who did it all for the love of his hometown and his Church.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Orani was another one of Joven's most memorable restorations. Brought by Dominicans to Bataan in 1587, the miraculous image was canonically crowned in 1959. It has been restored many times, but the results were not exactly up to par--until Joven was requested to step in to work on the Virgin and the Holy Child anew.


Joven, a stickler for tradition, adhered to the original look of the image, keeping the dark tones of the complexion as well as the colors of the vestments of both Mother and Child.

(My thanks to Mr. Tom Joven for providing all the photos for this article)