57. The Saintmakers: DOMINGO TEOTICO

Domingo Teotuico was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila in 1853, which already had a fledgling carving industry at that time. An artistic child, he enrolled at the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura when he came of age, training under Lorenzo Rocha. Under the accomplished saintmaker Leoncio Asuncion, he learned how to make figural models.


After eight years of study, Domingo felt that he was ready to make it on his own. He opened a shop along Palma St., in Quiapo, and became a member of the “Gremio de los Escultores”. He quickly gained a reputation as a sculptor of note by winning 2nd prize in the Open Competition sponsored by the Sociedad de Escultores de Sta. Cruz in 1880. In 1882, he won a Silver Medal for a bust of Pope Gregory XV, at the tercentenary celebration of Sta. Teresa de Jesus.

The next few years, he won more accolades: Bronze Medal for genre sculptor at the 1887 Exposicion Regional de Filipinas (Madrid, Spain), Honorable Mention for Sculpture at the Exposicion General (Barcelona, 1888), 2nd Prize at the Tercentenary Celebration of St. John of the Cross (Manila, 1892), Silver Medal for a carved set of furniture at the 1895 Exposicion Regional de Filipinas.

Teotico was also elected as a ‘cabeza de barangay’ (town head) and his nationalist fervor found expression during the 1896 Philippine Revolution. He became the Communications Chief and Commandant of the military in his district. Teotico even did administrative work for the newspaper “La Solidaridad” in 1899.


During the American Regime, Teotico continued with his sculpture business, winning a Bronze Medal at the Saint Louis Exposition of 1904. Most of his works are religious statues commissioned by individuals such as the santos used for the private devotion of the family of Don Martin Ocampo.

56. SANTOS FROM THE SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH MUSEUM

The historic Church of San Agustin in Intramuros was one of the few structures to survive the last World War. Built on solid ground and located “in the most beautiful part of the city” as Gaspar de San Agustin noted, the San Agustin Church was built in 1587, of hewn stone from Guadalupe, San Mateo and Meycauayan. Finished in 1604, it was improved over time—another level was dded to the on-storey towers in 1866. The American bombings in 1945 inflicted much damage to the church roof in 1945; after the war, the church was restored almost to its original condition.

The monastery of the church are linked to each other—and since the mid 1960s, the monastery has served as a museum, beginning with a photographic exhibit of Philippine churches. From 1968-69, plans for a permanent museum were drawn, even as Arch. Angel Nakpil was restoring the church and the monastery.

Three large halls on the ground floor and one on the second floor have been restored to showcase sacred art and other treasures—from bas reliefs, altar vessels, religious vestments to ivory and wooden santos, carrozas, retablos and paintings collected and preserved through the years.

On exhibit at the museum are parts of the “Pagrel Collection”, on loan from the family of Don Luis Ma. Araneta and inaugurated in 1976 in memory of Luis’ mother, Dña. Carmen Zaragoza Roxas vda. de Araneta. The collection features authentic antiques of validated provenance (Filipino-Mexican-Spanish colonial) acquired as early as 1940. A few choice pieces are shown on this page.

55. FURTHER NOTES ON PHILIPPINE SANTOS, part II

The first religious image mentioned in Philippine history is the Sto. Niño de Cebu. Carved in Flanders (then a Spanish possession) and dressed in velvet cloak and plumed hat, a hand raised in benediction and the other carrying an orb, the image attracted Juana, Datu Humabon’s wife; Pigafetta therefore gave it to her. This example of early Filipino devotion to the Niño before long popularized carvings in his likeness. In 1590, Domingo de Salazar, the first Archbishop of Manila, wrote to King Philip II of ivory carvings of the Child Jesus being carved in Manila—so excellently as to approximate in quality the Flemish originals. These first examples were, of course, carved by Chinese artisans; and they gave rise to characteristic traits which became incorporated in later Philippine iconography. For instance, the fleshy, rotund thighs of the Sto. Niño; and the neck of most saints ringed with the folds; and eyes shaded by heavy lids. These characteristics seem more common in ivory images, but even wood carvings (particularly of the early period) exhibit these traits.

From the indio background, the most telling contribution to santo sculpture is the somewhat disproportional physiognomy and a tendency to flatness. For when the artisans conceives of his sculpture as a free-standing object in the round, he typically pays only minimal attention to its back profile. The reason for this, of course, is that Philippine ornamental carvings in their traditional usage—carved on the surfaces of objects—used a flat perspective. The frontal directness of objects was always the primary concern of the craftsman. One notices this even in the bulul—the only representation of our animist past which survived the fervor of the early missionaries. The older craftsmen often had no idea of using clothing to enhance the proportion of the body in the artistic sense. In later sculptures, the slight turn of a leg proffered forward sometimes resulted in a fuller carving of the lower garment; an arm lifted in supplication may have a ripple of creases on the sleeve.

It’s a pity—but perhaps unavoidable—that much of the estofado coating applied to the garments of saints has been lost. Our hot, humid climate causes it to flake off. Apart from natural causes, there was the ritual habit of repainting images every so often. The fact that beautiful estofado decoration would be covered seldom stopped the devotee from giving an old image a new coat of paint. It is the ritual intention that was important—not the aesthetic value. For these images were above all intimately bound to everyday life—gaining meaning and value as they relate to the owner n ritual terms. Estofado is the technique of decorating the garments of images. Gesso or its equivalent in thick putty-like plaster is used to prime the body of the statue. In the Spanish tradition, a coat of goldleaf was first applied to the body of the sculpture—followed by a thin coat of paint through which we can barely see the gold shimmer. Floral patterns were then incised on this coating, reinforced with traditional decorative elements painted on to emphasize the sgrafitto pattern. This ornamental technique must have been very attractive to the colonial artisan, for it was rather similar to that of his own accustomed carving technique. And largely because the Filipino artisan was able to impart something of his own character to the santos he carved, his religious imagery gained distinctive marks. Unlearned though he may have been in the manner of Europeans, he gamely produced his own lively interpretation of the heavenly hierarchy. God and His saints must have had many good laughs over their sometimes-impious representations in Filipino colonial iconography: bulging eyes, squat figures, sensuous lips—and expressions that had never before crossed the faces of Christian saints. Informal statues meant for homes display the wider variety of stylistic differences. For one thing, the craftsman had to deal with clients of varying tastes and standards. One imagines that the peninsulares would have wanted in their home altars nothing less than those images grandiosely enshrined in church altars, or seen in the latest books and prints brought over by the Acapulco galleons. Upwardly mobile principales and mestizos must have also vied with one another to secure the best carvers and the best type of wood for their own altar images.

But for the majority of Filipino converts, the so-called popular style—more crude, more primitive, more naively conceived—sufficed. Surprisingly, it is in santos of this category that the scholar can measure the faith of the early converts. For here, freed from the hierarchial demands, the folk fashioned their saints in their own image. It is here, too, that one finds many statues vaguely reminiscent of the likha and anito. Santos of the popular style often tell us too, even of the changing costumes of the colonial period. The patron of San Isidro normally portrayed as a Castillian genteman was gradually replaced by indios, mestizos, and chinos. San isidro Labrador—so close to peasant affection—is often carved as dressed in the loose camisa worn by farmers.

Generally, all images were first treated with gesso to fill in the grain of wood and to achieve a smooth finish. The sculpture was then primed with red or yellow paint, before being polychromed in the standard colors assigned to specific saints. The faces of images are often coated with several layers of paint that approximate the skin tone. This process is known as encarnado. Ultra-realism became the vogue in the 18th century. Glass eyes, wigs, jewels and false eyelashes were introduced into santo sculpture. Images were dressed in velvet and the finest materials possible. Head and hand were now usually attached to a sketchy frame, with sockets supported by wooden legs. In the bastidor type, head and hands mounted and the body frame heavily padded to produce a conical saint. In this style, legs were no longer carved nor detailed. Emphasis shifted to the ornamental appearance of the object: the sculptural form disappears altogether.

In the absence of written records, dating santos is at best an educated guess. It is much easier to arrive at generalities regarding provenance. For instance, santos from the Bicol region tend to be carved from heavy wood. The figures are always massive proportion, well-carved with bases being frequently adorned with angels (if the subject happens to be the Blessed Virgin) and brilliantly colored. Popular subjects for Bicol carvers are San Antonio de Padua and the Pieta. From Cebu came the bell-shaped, heavy images of the Virgin with ivory heads and pegged-on wigs. Iloilo sculpture tends to be on the flattish side, with angular shoulders. Most popular santos from this province are mounted on crudely-made bases.

Samar has a prevalence of santos carved in light to medium-hard wood, which are tall (like the Pangasinan images) but flat, with angular shoulders and head. One characteristic of the Samar San Roque is a wound located on the right rather than on the left thigh, as it should not be in orthodox iconography. Bohol Virgins are generally squat figures slightly hunched at the shoulder, with pinched waists. The hair is straight and shapeless, or else falls in separate strands at the back. The face has a rather piquant expression. Bases are octagonal in shape instead of the usual globe, which is standard in the representation of the Inmaculada. Negros Virgins are crowned with nondescript faces. Bold floral designs invariably liven the central panel of their garments.

Whatever data we have today are still not enough to afford us a keener knowledge of the styles generated at a particular time in a specific locality. Historical records are so scarce that it is next to impossible to formulate an authoritative overview. It will be, as I have mentioned earlier, at best an educated guess, and for want of information, riddled with gaps. Thus, I appeal to dealers and collectors to join hands in amassing information in a common archive—the ADAP—where all the items that pass through their hands are photographed, given a description with additional information regarding source and provenance, and, possibly, the name o the foreign buyer. Such information will contribute to the collection of knowledge that is essential to a deeper and cultured understanding of this art form, our most vital link to discovery of the Filipino psyche.

54. FURTHER NOTES ON PHILIPPINE SANTOS, part I

(A lecture delivered on Jan. 1982 at the Philippine Plaza Hotel. Originally published in The Manila Arts & Antiques Exhibition Program, Sept. 13-10, 1982)

By Esperanza B. Gatbonton
Santo photos courtesy of Tony Martino

First of all, I would like to thank the Antique Dealers’ Association for asking me to address this distinguished group of collectors and connoisseurs of Philippine artifacts. Second, I wish to commend the Association for its efforts to upgrade the Philippine antique trade. Simply by ensuring that all items put on sale are genuine, and (one hopes) also reasonably priced, you will be ding a great deal to develop buyer’s confidence and enlarge your national market.


The growth of the antique market in recent years has brought to light many rare and valuable pieces that testify to the wealth and variety of our cultural heritage. It is a pity that a great number of these artifacts—which should have remained here—have disappeared abroad by means of the antique trade.

Having said that, I wish to acknowledge that many dealers have tried—do try—to offer outstanding art objects they turn up to various institutions in the country that have to do with the preservation of national treasures.

The Intramuros Administration—where I work—has benefited a great deal from this thoughtfulness of some art dealers. Without your help, many more rare and beautiful pieces would have passed on to private or foreign collectors, depriving our public at large the chance of ever seeing them.

Perhaps, the Association can go a step further and set up a library of its own—which could compile pictures and other data of art objects sold to foreigners, or otherwise shipped abroad. This will at least preserve records of provenance and style—and help future scholarship on Philippine antiquities.

The study of our religious carvings or santos have suffered greatly from this lack of historical record. For instance, until recent times, people widely supposed that most of our ivory carvings had come from Mexico or Spain; and that those found here were all carved by Chinese craftsmen. It had taken the work of a scholar and researcher in Spain—working the span of over a decade—to call our attention to the significant number of ivory carvings in Spain, Mexico, and other European museums that are of Philippine provenance. Whether these were carved by Filipinos or Chinese is another story we have yet to verify.

The indio tradition and culture was oriented towards ornamentation. Like all other ‘primitive’ societies, the indio drew inspiration from his surroundings and found an effective means of reaching out to his largely unknown, somewhat formless universe by resorting to symbolical representation. He embellished most objects of daily life—transforming ordinary objects and usages into more than purely functional artifacts. Being an animist, his representations of his gods recalled the symbolical mysteries to which his mind was drawn.


These representations—whether carved on the surfaces of tools, woven into cloth, tattooed on the skin, or engraved on jewelry—created a strong tradition which formed the colonial sculptors’ artistic background. The representations of anitos or likha were crudely carved—crude in the sense that the sculptor made no attempt to delineate, but only to represent, the elemental form of things he could not see, yet intuitively recognized as real.

How does one explain why all people in their beginnings choose to represent objects in a manner that we can only call “crude”? The first Spanish settlers in the islands expressed great horror on seeing these idols—which they regarded as monstrosities and instruments of the devil. The early missionaries undoubtedly had a fine time seeking them out from the homes of their parishioners, and condemning them to the bonfire.

Much has been said about the syncretic character of Philippine Catholicism; but the fact remains that at least in the beginnings of Christianity in the archipelago, dislocated Filipino sensibilities groping for direction simply made the transfer from Bathala to Dios—from anito to santo. And once unsophisticated minds saw the parallelism between Catholicism and their own beliefs, they proceeded with characteristic fervor to Philippinize the new religion.

To be sure, the transition did not come about without some soul-wracking agonies. Nicely-worded edicts from Philip II assuaged some doubts; and we must not discount the dedication and genuine saintliness of many of the early missionaries.


As a result, practically all the lowlanders and inhabitants of the known riverways were quickly Christianized, and churches were built all over the archipelago. By 1586, the Augustinians alone had 27 missions scattered from the Ilocos to Cebu and Panay. By the 17th century, stone churches were being built, and elaborate retablos and altars carved to decorate them.

The Jesuit Antonio Sedeño, who had much to do with the first buildings in stone, was also responsible for the earliest religious paintings done toward the end of the sixteenth century. He sought migrant Chinese artisans already familiar with the brush and color, and taught them how to paint pictures of the Blessed Mother. These first icons Sedeño earnestly distributed to his friends for use in churches and homes.

53, Cebuano Sculptor gains STATURE FROM HIS STATUES

The Sunday Times Magazine, January 9, 1966

By D. M. Estabaya

Fidel Araneta and Flash Elorde have many things in common. Both are from the town of Bogo, Cebu. As youngsters, they were so poor they ran away from home and staked out a living in Cebu City. And both packed talent in their hands: Flash with his boxing gloves and Fidel with his carving knife.

Sculptor Araneta hacks away at the wooden image of the “Sleepy Santo Niño”. The piece evoked praise during the centennial exhibit in Cebu last April. Many ordered copies.

Today, at 51, Fidel Araneta is easily the top-ranking commercial sculptor of Cebu City. His sculptural works are found everywhere in the Visayas and Mindanao. His patrons are mostly priests, secular and missionary, from as far away as Jolo. He has lost count of the munipalities in the South which have placed orders for statues from him.

Sculptor Araneta is a product of the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In school, he was a medalist every year. However, his family was so poor he had to quit school for good in his senior year.

As a child, Fidel never tired of shaping miniature objects from adobe clay, called ‘manggol’ in Cebu. He made fishes, elephants, lions—and whatever else his young, imaginative mind took a fancy to.

In grade school, he had a never-ending fascination of the portrait of Rizal. He used to take along a lump of ‘manggol’ to class and shape it into a bust of Rizal. He became so proficient with the face of the hero, that upon graduation from elementary school, he was able to give the principal a miniature bust of Rizal. For years, it adorned the cabinet of the principal’s office.

In the Cebu High School, Fidel turned up the undisputed artist (he’s also good at pen-and-ink sketches). The American principal suggested that his father send him to Manila for an art education. Upon Araneta’s return to Cebu City shortly before the War, he opened a sculptural shop of his own. Shortly after, he became known as Cebu’s most outstanding sculptor.

In Cebu today, it is likely that the religious or civic statue you point to with admiration is Fidel Araneta job. Even in Mindana provinces, his sculptural works are everywhere. During the Rizal Centennial in 1961, he could hardly cope with orders for Rizal statues for public plazas. The Dapitan City Knights of Rizal commissioned him t do a life-size concrete statue of the hero for the public plaza. Araneta’s work is the best to rise in the historic Rizal place of Mindanao.


However, it is in the field of religious sculptural renditions that the Cebu artist makes his living. It is the rule, rather than the exception, that the altars and altar objects in Cebu’s 49 towns and four cities are Araneta creations. Araneta’s statues of saints come out in wood, plaster of paris and concrete. Recently, an Italian priest ordered from him a cubistic Madonna and Child. His Christ on the Cross in the posh Redemptorist Church of Cebu Cityis regarde by many as his masterpiece.

A religious man (he has a son studying for the priesthood in Canlubang and is himself a 4th degree K of C),he puts up a large elen, or crèche, ever Christmas season with the help of his wife. The objects are his works.

In the 50s, Araneta used to submit entries for the national sculptural tilt held yearly in Manila. His wooden bust of then U.S. President Eisenhower in 1953 won first prize. The Cebu artist likewise won a major prize for his bust of former President Osmeña. He donated several busts of great Filipinos to the national museum.

In 1961, he did a wooden bust of President Kennedy for a client n Manila. Early in 1963, the owner complained to the artist that a fissure or crack appeared on the temple of the bust. A few days later, JFK was shot dead on the same spot. A newspaper played up a big photo of the bust’s phenomenal damage.

Young hopefuls consider it a privilege to work under Araneta. A former Araneta apprentice, Napoleon Abueva, is a famous sculptor now. (Recently, Abueva visited his art mentor).

During the 4th centennial fete of Christianity in Cebu this year, the sculptor and his eight assistants had to work day and night to meet orders. Moreover, Araneta was tapped to put up an art work for the national art exhibits at the Cebu Normal School in connection with the centennial celebration.


His rough-hewn piece evoked the lavish admiration of art lovers. It was a wooden Santo Niño in an unorthodox stance: reclining wearily on an oversized orb. (The sculptor titled it, “The Sleepy Santo Niño after 400 Years”). Many centennial visitors ordered copies.

Also during the Centennial Week, the Papal Legate, Ildebrando Cardinal Antoniutti, unveiled an oversized statue of Lapulapu at Camp Lapulapu, Lahug, for the Third Military Area Command. It was a work Fidel Araneta did upon the specifications of the Commanding Brig. General Silvino R. de Goma who made researches on the Mactan hero.

People in Cebu City today are saying the likeness is “closest” to the real-life Lapulapu. The Cebu City government supported the project and the unveiling was done last April 27, the 444th anniversary of the Battle of Mactan.

52. RETRO-SANTO: Lourdes Grotto of Baguio

OUR LADY OF LOURDES. A popular tourist and pilgrim destination since the turn of the 20th century. The grotto, with the stone image of Our Lady continues to be one of Baguio's enduring landmarks. Ca. 1924.

One of Baguio’s long-standing landmark is the Lourdes Grotto at Quezon Hill in the western part of Baguio, overlooking the city. There, the painted stone image of Our Lady of Lourdes perches, reachable by 252 steps from the ground.

The popular shrine replicates the Lourdes grove where the Virgin Mary appeared to a young French woman, Bernadette Soubirous in Massabielle in the town of Lourdes, France. The devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes was approved in 1962 by the Pope and has since grown into a worldwide devotion.

The grotto was established in 1907 by the Jesuits and has since become a nationally well-known pilgrimage site, frequented by devotees and tourists, moreso during the Holy Week. Pilgrims usually negotiate the steep steps to reach the image of Our Lady, lighting candles at an altar before the image.

The grotto has undergone many facelifts through the years. Hanging milk glass lamps used to hang inside the grotto to light the image of Our Lady. This old picture, for instance, shows part of the painted inscription: 'Qué soï era immaculado councepcioũ,' a phonetic transcription of "I am the Immaculate Conception" which Our Lady declared to Bernadette in French Gascon Occitan language. Today, a metal arch frames it with the words "Tota Pulchra Es Maria" (Thou Art All Fair, Oh Mary.)

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)