140. A Miraculous Makeover: VIRGEN DE LA MEDALLA MILAGROSA

THE RESTORED IMAGE OF OUR LADY OF GRACE. Found in a Bulacan antique shop in a sorry state, this rare 24 in. wooden image was restored and redressed by Dr. Raffy Lopez. Perosnal Collection.

When my favourite antique dealer sent me a photo by phone of a newly-arrived 2-foot santa for my consideration, I really got excited. For here is a very rare image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, or known by its other title--Our Lady of Grace, the titular patron of our town, Mabalacat. 

Though I already have a 16 in. image, it is a reconstruction, fashioned from an Immaculate Conception santa. But clearly, this larger image is an original Milagrosa, with metal parts unbelievably complete—from the brass rays that emanate from her hands, to her crown and 12-star halo. She still had her sky blue cape in velvet, plus her sparsely embroidered tunic in shabby but stable condition.

Though her encarna had started to flake, one could discern her fine facial details, that can only be described as serenely beautiful.

The santo stood on a base of wood, but the clouds were made from composition or paper mache, reinforced with gauze, which have started to show. A snake lay coiled underfoot, which fortunately was undamaged, right down to the apple in its jaws.

 This was the way that St. Catherine Laboure saw Our Lady in a vision at Rue-de-Bac, France in 1830. She stood with a downcast glance, and was dressed in a blue cape, white mantle and tunic. Rays emanated from her hands, both outstretched at her side. Beneath her feet, a serpent lay crushed and around her were the words ”O, Mary conceived without sin, pray fpr us who have recourse to thee”.

A medal was struck based on this vision, and miracles were soon being wrought. The devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was introduced by the Vincentian fathers with their arrival in the Philippines in 1860, catching on in popularity in no time at all. Recollects propagated the devotion in our town as early as the 1860s under the title, Ntra. Sra. De la Gracia.

As late as the 1930s, an image of La Virgen Milagrosa had stood on the main altar with her signature rays radiating from her hands, to be replaced in the 1950s with a seated image of a Madonna and Child.

Of course, the restoration of this santo became a top priority project; I immediately brought it to Dr. Raffy Lopez, who lost no time in fixing the image, starting with the base, the body and the repainting of the image.

Dr. Lopez copied the pattern of the existing vestments but did away with the use of heavy velvet; instead, blue and white satin fabrics were used.

 He employed simple but elegant embroidery on Our Lady’s tunic, of mostly floral patterns.

 Outfitted with a new wig and with metal parts polished, La Virgen Milagrosa emerged miraculously beautiful after more than 2 months of restoration, radiant than ever, ready to work her wonders to those who believe, just as she promised St. Catherine Laboure over a hundred years ago.

139. ANGELS OF GOD: From Wingless to Wonderful!

ANGELS OF GOD, MY GUARDIANS DEAR. Two santo angels found in an out-of-the-way antique shop, transformed into San Rafael and San Gabriel, respectively. Personal Collection.

It has happened countless of times: an antique dealer would call to say that that he has unique items just arrived, so if I could rush right over to look at some of them. More often than not, I would be shown commonplace trifles and vintage junk, and I would come away disappointed.

In one such visit to an Apalit dealer, I was once again shown some supposedly “heirloom” antiques—but all I found was an assortment of costume jewelry, new ivory santo heads, damages silver and rosaries with missing beads. Oh yes, there was also a Dolorosa santo that I had seen beforeand some ‘bagong luma’ salakots (native hats).

I thought I would again go home again empty-handed until the dealer brought out two small wooden angels that she had almost forgotten. Small in size, wingless and armless, they were, nonetheless, real antique pieces. They were neatly carved from soft wood, and they had all the classic attributes of a typical angel—right down to their helmetted heads, boots, knee-revealing slit tunics and the cloud bases that served as their peañas.

Examining the two angels made featureless by age, I could only surmise what use they had before. Could they have once graced an old carroza? Or could they have been part of a set of 7 Archangels? Whatever, I thought the two were charming pieces worth collecting—I rarely see such kinds for sale in Manila shops.

For a reasonable amount, I acquired these two angels with a view to have them restored in the future. But impatient that I was, I hurriedly took them to santo restorer, Dr. Raffy Lopez, two weeks after I purchased them. I had two spare gilded bases, so I brought those as well, intending them to be used for their restoration. I had no other instructions except that I requested for plated metal wings for the two.

I pretty much forgot all about the two angels in the next 6 weeks; after all, my mind was on my impending vacation in Australia. But I was kept updated with mms photos sent through my phone. When the call came for me to pick up my two angel santos, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I was wowed, to say the least!

One had been transformed into a San Gabriel, bearer of divine messages--represented by a scroll in one hand and a flower in the other.

Another had become San Rafael, holding a staff from which a silver fish dangled. Both have been repainted and outfitted with silver wings.

Once I brought them home, I placed them on a special shelf in my shoebox house. 

So there they stand guard, flanking an old metal crucifix I found in a yard sale, these two angels of God, once nearly ignored and forgotten, now fully restored succesfully--with flying colors!

138. Retro-Santo: SANTIAGO MATAMOROS

SWEET SAINTLY JAMES. A fine processional statue of Santiago Matamoros (St. James, the MoorSlayer), depicting the saint trampling on the Moors as he fought in the battle of Clavijo in Spain. Photo dates from 1928.

St. James the Greater, (Santiago) was the son of Zebedee and Salome who became one of disciples of Jesus. He figures in many ancient traditional stories and one of the more popular is his engagement in battle at  Clavijo (Spain, 844) against Muslims, symbol of Reconquista. Saint James, it was said, appeared as a warrior-knight on his white steed holding aloft a white banner as he helped the Christian armies of King Ramiro I in attacks against the Moors. As a result of their victory, St. James has come to be known as "Matamoros".

Santiago is Spain's patron saint, and in the Philippines, he is also the titular patron of such towns as Plaridel (Bulacan), Bolinao (Pangasinan), Betis (Pampanga), Libon (Albay), Ibaan (Batangas) and Dapitan. The famed Fort Santiago in Manila features the wooden relief of the saint is carved on a gateway arch.

The beautiful processional santo of Philippine origin shown above represents the saint vanquishing the Moors. At least three decapitated heads are at the feet of his white horse, excellently carved and outfitted with glass eyes and perhaps, abaca hair for its mane and tail. Santiago is of the articulated manikin type of santo; he wears a human hair wig. On his head is a knight's helmet, decorated with a feathered plume. He brandishes a sword and an embroidered shield in his hands. He wears an elaborated set of gold-embroidered vestments.

Martyred by Herod Agrippa in AD 44, his remainswere transferred to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Santiago is the patron of veterinarians, equestrians,  pharmacists, tanners and furriers. His Feast Day is December 30.

PRAYER

O Glorious Saint James, because of your fervor and generosity

Jesus chose you to witness his glory on the Mount

and his agony in the Garden.

Obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending struggles of this life.

Help us to follow Christ constantly and generously,

to be victors over all our difficulties,

and to receive the crown of glory in heaven. Amen.

137. RESUSCITATING A CRISTO RESUSCITADO

An afternoon scrounging at the antique shops at Philtrade lead me to this small statue of the Risen Christ (aka Cristo Resuscitado, Resurrecion). It was such in a sorry state—one arm lost, another lopped off, its body caked with grime and dirt from years of disuse.

There was nothing spectacular about the softwood carving—the facial features were commonplace, the musculature, not very defined.

Yet, this figure of the Risen Christ—done perhaps in the 50s, or early 60s—aroused my interest: it was only 10 inches tall, excluding the cloud base.

Despite the lost wig, it retained tow of its miniscule brass potencias and a crude estandarte fashioned from a brass sheet and wire. I knew immediately that this was going to be restoration challenge.

The only thing holding me back was its price; for such a damaged condition, the price was rather steep. So I left the santo and thought about it for a week.

When I called the dealer, the santo was still available, and happily, the price had been slashed off to almost 50%. That same weekend, I took home the figure of the Risen Christ and figured how to go about restoring it. The first thing I did was to give it a thorough cleaning, and at once, Christ's distinctive features showed.

For this project, I decided to ask the help of Mang Kiko Vecin, who had a ready team of carvers and painters working in his Makati workshop.  He readily accepted the assignment and my wait lasted all of 3 weeks.

When I picked it up, the missing parts have been carved, attached and repainted. I wasn't too sure about one restored arm--it looked too thick to me, but I guess the carver just matched the style with the simple carving of the body.

Now came the finishing which I attempted to do myself. I had pre-ordered the jusi wig, so outfitting the hair was easy.  I was lucky to come across 3 mini-potencias at the Greenhills Antique Fair early this year, so that went to the head of the Risen Christ.

For the tapiz, I tore apart a vintage santa cape I had been keeping for years. A few snips and stitches, and I had the wrap done in a jiffy. As a final touch, I secured the tapiz with a small maroon tassel. The results are on this page for you to see. What I thought to be a challenging restoration proved to be easy and hassle-free. "He is risen...just as He said!" Thanks be to God (and to Mang Kiko Vecin!).

136. Retro-Santo: LA PURISIMA CONCEPCION of Malabon

LARAWANG TUNAY NG MAHAL NA BIRHEN. "La Purisima Concepcion". Malabon, Rizal. ca. 1960s.

Malabon’s most important Marian image is the Immaculate Conception, a 3-foot image believed to be over 300 years old. Enshrined at the parish dedicated to Her, the image has very graceful lines, with delicately chiselled features, with hands in a prayerful pose.

 Our Lady is dressed in flowing white robes and two wind-blown mantles, one of gold and the other in red and blue. She stands on a globe with a serpent crushed under her feet. Her magnificent metalworks include a crown, a halo and a luminous silver sun and crescent moon before the globe.

For the past 63 years, the people of Malabon and Navotas honor the image with a fluvial procession held every December 9. Before being installed in an altar on a casco or a decorated barge, the image is paraded along the streets on an anda, carried by men and followed by people serenading her to the borrowed tune of “Santa Clarang, pinung-pino”.

The image is then brought to the church for a 4 p.m. Mass; after which, our Lady is conveyed on the barge by fisherfolks as the rosary is prayed and Marian hymns are sung. The barge sets sail for the Navotas River, following the river bank, until the revered image is returned to the church.

135. SAN ANTONIO: Patron of the Lost, Found.

And you thought fine quality, century old-santos could not be found in second-hand shops and thrift stores. Well, I just found one in Bangkal over the holidays—a 22 inch softwood San Antonio, that plumpish Franciscan invoked by devotees when they lose something—car keys, books, money, perhaps, even sanity. Evangelista St. and its dizzying side streets offer bargain hunters and thirll seekers like me, the chance of unearthing treasures amidst its heaps of domestic refuse, broken furniture, used books, ukay-ukay clothes, bric-a-bracs and gewgaws.

On a Monday afternoon—a holiday—and under a searing sun, I took off for the famed thrift shop capital of Makati. I was not disappointed at the first store I went to—I found old oval frames which I bought for the school museum, 50 bucks each. The next store yielded a pair of pink ceramic ballet dancer figurines, typical 50s camp, my cup of tea! But with my limited budget, I was focused on finding antique religious items, as I had been on a santo spree lately. Kitsch had to wait.

So off to my old suki’s store, which often had a stray santo now and then, but Belinda was nowhere to be found. Instead—the next-door shop sitter popped in and asked me to look around her shop. Sure enough, I saw a pair of fine altar candlesticks, which excited me for about 30 seconds. ..until the price dampened my enthusiasm.

 But lo and behold—on a chair, partly hidden by dama juana bottles—I saw the peeking head of a santo, which I mistook for San Nicolas—until the owner pulled it out, revealing the unmistakable form of the friar saint.

Here he is, relatively intact, sans a pair of hands, complete with a separate wooden base, with primitive triangular patterns. He may have held a book, or a Nino at one time, but that's okay; what I don’t see, I won’t miss.

One look and I knew it was a certified antique—from the bulging eyes of the saint, the classical profile, to the delicate and detailed flow of the garments and the primitive-style orb-like peana. The santo had lost its paint totally and only traces of gesso remained. Traces of gilding could be seen on its robe.

 At the back, someone affixed a paper tape with the following information: “St. Anthony, patron saint of those who losses (sic) things. Came from Bicol region, southern part of Phil. Island. Age over 100 years old. Carved by early Christian Filipinos”. Bless the dealer for adding this information. True or not, it adds to the mystique of this ancient santo. The santo carried a hefty price tag, but I was not intimidated. I asked the shop attendant to call the owner, and I made a ridiculously low offer that she vehemently refused. Having set an asbolute limit, I prepared to go and say goodbye to San Antonio. But wait---she said if I added P200 more, I could have it.

My only problem was, I only had a thousand bucks in my wallet. Please San Antonio, find me an ATM machine! Poof! I found a working BPI ATM just across the street. Praise the saint! As they say, seek, and ye shall find.

 Wait till the next holiday week-end..

134. THE NINO THAT NOBODY WANTED

About five months ago, this Niño was circulated by a dealer via SMS to collectors and prospective buyers. It was passed on to me by a colleague who said that it was available for Php25,000.

One look and I was instantly turned off by the sorry state of this image carved in softwood. The Holy Child, which looked very old, seemed to have caught a bad case of vitiligo—it had peeling encarna all over his face and body.

To make matters worse, it had broken toes and fingers, and its glass eyes were blackened with age, giving it a look not unlike a creature with a ghostly stare.

It was pretty obvious that there was also something totally wrong with the way it stood on a pointed wooden perch that was affixed to another circular base.

Clearly, the base was not original to the piece—and upon closer examination, I saw that the foot of the Niño was just screwed onto the perch, which suspiciously looked like an old architectural detail salvaged from some antique house.

But I sensed something special in the Niño itself, barring its major imperfections. For one, it was classically carved, well-proportioned and, at 12 inches, was of very good size.

The standing Niño shows his two uplifted hands, with the left hand in a palm-up position. The right arm, which is traditionally raised in the act of benediction, curiously shows a set of hands turned inwards, in a grasping position, which indicates that the image may have held a staff or a rod at some time (or maybe an orb?)

It was also an authentic antique, perhaps a century-old, based on its patina. At the back, there was a paper label that was glued on the carved piece, indicating that, at one time, it was part of a Manila antique shop inventory. Cagayan was listed as the image's provenance, and that it was from the 18th century.

Apparently, after peddling the image for several months, the Seller found no Buyer. It was then that I received another phone notification from a friend who had originally seen the Nino's photo, informing me of another cut price--this time, to more than half! My friend acted as a middleman, and in no time at all--I had the piece delivered to his office. The Nino was mine!

 Soon as I brought the image home, I removed it from its perch and discarded the base, which was not old, after all. Left with just the damaged image, I came to a decision to have it re-painted and completely restored. Some collector-purists would disagree with me on this—preferring to keep the image in its original state to preserve the integrity of its antiquity, but I was not interested in creating a museum piece.

 As has been the case, off I went to see Dr. Raffy Lopez to consult him on this project. I had several ideas about the Niño’s restoration, inspired by some images in the Santo Niño book of Ben Farrales.

In the end, I decided on a “cushion base” for my Christ Child (made by Celso Mataya), adapted from my preferred peg featured in the book.

 Raffy and I agreed on an appropriate color for its encarna—something close to the complexion of Spanish/ Mexican colonial pieces that are characterized by a rosy blush. His painter, Edgar, new to the santo scene, did the paintwork and this was how it looked with the first paint layer:

 Its broken fingers and toes had earlier been repaired by Bong Lauderis, Raffy's resident carver. When the Nino was staged on its new base, it looked something like this:

I felt that the potencias (by Dodong Azares) were way too big for the Niño head, and Raffy agreed to change them. And there was still something spooky about the eyes, so those were eventually changed too.

 A few more days, and the Nino--standing 16.5 inches tall on its new base-- with its replaced potencias, new eyes and eyelashes—plus a free gold thread embroidered tapiz, courtesy of Raffy Lopez was ready to be picked up.

All it needs is a staff and an orb, which my metalsmith from Mexico will create. Maybe a new open crown and a longer wig will be made for my newest santo, but in the meanwhile, I am just happy with the thought that the Santo Nino that nobody wanted had finally found a home!