365. SAN ISIDRO LABRADOR: When Vintage is Valuable

When I saw this 32 in. image of San Isidro Labrador on FB Marketplace, I thought it was an antique, crafted to perfection by an artist who seemed familiar with Spanish-style carving and religious iconography.That was until more close-up photos were shared, and I saw the still-sharp cuts and edges which bore tell-tale signs that the figure was not one. There certainly were attempts to make it look old like the effects of paint loss, missing hands, and attributes like the shovel or the sickle—symbols of the saint's work. One foot was also broken.

As the santo was advertised on FB marketplace

To soften and smoothen the look, traces of white talcum powder can be still seen in the crevices, mimicking dried layers of old gesso. Probably, which was why it remained unsold for days, ignored by true-blue antique collectors.

But age to me, while important, is not always the reason why I am attracted to newer santos of this kind. It's the excellent execution of this San Isidro that got me—presented alone on a base—without the plowing angel and the kneeling Don Vargas that one often sees on tableaus. Seldom do you see vintage santos of impeccable quality such as this one. 

This, surely was a product of a learned carver who knew his stuff well—from the way he accurately posed the saint with one hand on his chest,  while holding, on the other hand,  an iconographic  farm implement, now missing.

His carved costume depicts the common outfits of peasants in old Castile: a tunic with buttons that adjusted it to the chest, short breeches, high boots (or leggings) close to the knee, and a jacket collar, sometimes decorated with a frill.

The artist paid great attention to the minute detail--from the delineation of the saint’s hair, the creases on his forehead and sallow cheeks, to his windswept hair and tunic, and the folds of his boots.

I contacted the seller and made a few inquiries; he told me the San Isidro came from Samar, and that it was carved from 2 separate woods—the base being made of santol. He asked me what my plans were—will I restore it? Repaint it? He said it looked good as is. I said I don’t know yet. I made an offer, he made a counter offer, and the deal was sealed.

In a day and a half, the San Isidro arrived at the courier’s office for me to pick up. I wasn't prepares for its weight--it was very heavy, I had to drag the huge box to my car. When I opened the box back home, there it was---San Isidro Labrador---it was exactly how I imagined it to be---except for its denseness and extreme weight ( close to 10 pounds on a bathroom scale). I was later told it was ironwood (local name, mangkono).

I was in for another surprise  when a separate bubble wrap revealed  his pair of hands—they were not missing after all. That, along with a broken fragment from one boot. The holes at the bottom of his feet were outfitted with short metal tubes, to provide extra support when the image was attached by pegs on the base. That rather new feature proved that San Isidro may have been made in just the last 2 years or so, new by antique collectors' standards.

I decided to make a replacement for his lost farm implement. Using found objects at home, I created San Isidro’s long-handled shovel from a rattan stick, whittled down to the right circumference, to create a pole handle.  A rusty, mini-hand spade provided the metal spade, while its wooden handle  was joined to the tip of the stick to serve as a handle grip. A metal strip cut from an old liquor cap was ringed around the joined parts. The long-handled shovel was distressed and aged by rolling it over the stove flame, then brushed with mahogany stain.

The santo was not without flaws, with many nicks and dings, plus the usual cracks, so I had to fix these with a variety of  fillers--plastic wood for the cracks, and epoxy clay to fill in bigger gaps. 

One arm and left leg of San Isidro were a bit wobbly so I had to detach them to see the problem.  It turned out that the dowels or pegs used to connect arms to the body and the feet to the base have come apart. When all the parts have been secured properly, I found out one peg would no longer fit into the hole on the base; the position of one foot had moved a bit in the  regluing process. I had to open up the hole and dig in a bit deeper to fix my mistake.

The whole ensemble was then polished with bees wax which evened out and darkened its color to a deep brown-black and gave it a rich mellow sheen. Though a vintage piece, San Isidro appears much better now--looking more venerable, and more valuable than ever! 

Many thanks to Mr. Jay Consunji Capistrano for this beautiful piece, and for the use of his FB Marketplace photos.

231. FACEBOOK SANTOS AND OTHER ON-LINE FINDS.

SAN RAFAEL AND TOBIAS.
A rarely-seen tableau showing the archangel with Tobias,
  whom he helped in catching a fish. Once home, the angel
prepared a salve from parts of the fish that was
then used to heal Tobias' blind father. This 17 in.
primitive piece was found in a Manila online shop.

Indeed, antique santos can come from the most unexpected places. The advent of the internet has changed the way we shop--antiques, included. Where before, sneaking out to the antique enclave of Manila from my Makati office meant braving jeepney rides and lunch-hour traffic just to check out  new santo arrivals, now, santos are available on demand--thanks to good old ebay, rubylane, tias.com or etsy.

BELL VIRGIN FROM BOHOL.
A century-old santa of heavy wood, with characteristic
bell-shaped skirt, typical of Bohol santos. The image,
with very sparse carving, except for the very detailed hair,
is polychromed. It was found on the Philippine selling site,
sulit.com.ph, which has since become, olx.com.ph

Suddenly, these online shops and auction sites provided a convenient and alternative way to acquiring santos. With just a click, you can be an armchair shopper and check on the antique through pictures provided by the dealer, and read through the descriptions, price points and shipping preferences. Sure there are risks involved in sourcing santos in this manner-- especially with international transactions--but by and large, my online buying experience has generally been pleasant.

SAN NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO.
This 13 inch santo was found on a Facebook Group that sold
antiques and collectibles. When I first saw it, it was encrusted
with thick grime, but the octagonal base was interesting.
Deep cleaning revealed painted details like stars on the santo's
habit and colors on the base.

Eventually, local selling sites like sulit.com.ph, buyandsellph.com started adding "antiques" as part of their product categories, and if one were patient enough to check the items regularly, one could spot a great santo find.

SAN PEDRO
A large and hefty San Pedro, 28 inches high, found on
sulit.com.ph. It went unsold after several re-posts, so I
eventually bought it at a discounted price. The santo is
carvedin one piece, saved for the head and hands. 

But what really made santo collecting more exciting was when social media sites became immensely popular. Facebook, for instance, attracted like-minded people who formed groups to share common interests. The sharing eventually progressed into buying and selling, and today, there are perhaps, more than a dozen facebook groups involved in the lively trade.

ANGEL
This looks like an angel fragment from a large San Isidro
de Labrador tableaux, based on the hand position of the
figure who appears like he is manning a plow. The base is a
replacement. It was obtained from a facebook group, and was
shipped all the way from the Visayas to Pampanga!

The santos featured here were all purchased online, from different sites. The deal is based on mutual trust, and I would like to think that the groups of which I am a member are strict in the enforcement of house rules, that mandates inclusion of a description and a price, plus a lot of caveats!

SAN VICENTE FERRER
I was drawn to the vibrant color of this very common
preacher saint, a vintage piece that is at once simple,
yet powerfully attractive with its bright hues and tones.
Most of all, it was very affordable! At just 11 inches tall,
it was also cute! It was found being  sold in a facebook group. 

Negotiations and deals are sealed through private messaging and phone calls. Meet-ups and delivery by a courier are the most popular modes of transferring ownership of the item.You would agree that the santos that I have acquired online are a charming lot, with prices no different from antique shops, and in most cases, even cheaper. It takes a discerning eye and an inquisitive mind to spot a santo that's right for you and your budget, and a fast finger to click on the button to type in your final decision--MINE!

SAN ANTONIO DE PADUA
One of my favorite online purchase, this heavy folk santo was
emailed to me for consideration, before it was listed online.
It is a beautifully carved piece and has on its original paint.
It stands over 16 inches tall including the base of turned wood.

192. Santo Networking: AN ANTIQUE IVORY SAN JOSE ON FACEBOOK

SAN JOSE IS NOW ON FACEBOOK. An antique ivory San Jose found for sale on a facebook group, bought and restored to its full 25" glory, with embroidered vestments, gold-plated metal accessories, and a new gilt base. Personal Collection.

 The social networking site, Facebook, is perhaps the strangest place to find an antique treasure, an ivory santo to be specific. Sure there are facebook groups devoted to processional santos and other religious imageries, but to find an antique ivory San Jose for sale in the site is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

 But thank God for a facebook group called Pinoy Pickers Online—an association of like-minded individuals who like showing off, and selling their thrift shop and second hand store picks. A motley assemblage of stuff are peddled here—mostly refuse from old homes, odds and ends that include Coca Cola items, vintage jewelry to appliance junk, vinyl records, toys and, if one is lucky, old devotional art such as the one I discovered here.

 A Seller had posted a picture of old religious items grouped together, but sold individually. Everyone, it seems, was asking about the Santo Nino, the Virgin Mary and the collectible Bible prominently featured in the foreground. Nobody was paying attention to a rather squat-looking San Jose behind these wooden statuaries.

One look and I knew the face of the midget San Jose, originally described by the Seller as carved from deer horn, was in fact, made of ivory—and that was all that mattered to me.

I quickly contacted the Seller and was glad to learn that the San Jose was available. Upon my request, he sent additional information and photos—which confirmed that, indeed, the head was of whole ivory.

Unfortunately, the hands were wooden, but this did not bother me at all, as the heft and size of the ivory head (2.5 inches) more than made up for its flaws—which also include a disproportionately short wooden body, wire armature arms, a wig made of wiry abaca, and a halo fashioned from a twisted copper wire.

 The image was wearing its original green satin vestment that was beyond repair, and it stood on an ordinary box base stained to simulate wood grain. In all, the image stood only 16 inches, inclusive of the base. After a few phone calls, a deal was sealed between us and the image was mine!

The Seller was kind enough to make a bus trip from Laguna to Makati, just so he could personally deliver the antique ivory San Jose to me. The face of San Jose was beautifully carved, and the details of the facial features were outstanding. I lost no time in contracting the services of my santero for the repair and restoration of this fine San Jose.

 Major restoration began with elongating the manikin body of the saint through wooden augmentations done on both the torso and the leg area.

 A tall lotus base, gilded in gold, was commissioned separately to replace the boxy platform on where the image originally was mounted. Also, a new pair of ivory hands were ordered in lieu of the wooden ones that visibly didn’t fit the proportion of the image.

As for the vestment, my instructions were for a more elaborate design, which would entail more gold embroidery.

This would up the cost of restoration, but I think the quality of this San Jose warranted a bit more of extravagance!

 I had my first view of the almost-completed santo through a series of texted photos on my phone. 

Completing the ensemble was a jusi wig and the metalworks: a small brass halo and a flowering staff plated in gold, a familiar attribute of San Jose.

The resulting restoration was very dramatic: from 16 inches, San Jose now stands 25 inches, from the tip of the halo to the bottom of the base.

 I have a number of ivory San Joses in my collection, but none as impressive-looking as this latest find. In fact, even my santo restorer asked me to give him priority should I decide to unload it in the near future.

One thing for sure, that is not bound to happen soon! I never had so many “Likes” for an antique ivory santo!

 But that is bound to happen to an ivory treasure that I amazingly, incredibly found—not in an antique shop –but on Facebook! Now that’s what I call santo networking!