A Long-Lost Juan Luna Bust Has Resurfaced Again After Nearly 80 Years
Long has it been since the public last saw Mariano Benlliure's prized "Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio." Too long, really. Seventy-eight years, to be exact. The Spanish sculptor wound up creating one of the more intimate portraits of arguably the Philippines' most important artist, capturing the nuances of a complicated man, articulating the intricacies of a painter caught between revolution and grandeur.
Now, it's finally back in the hands of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP). It was once thought to have been one of the many pieces and artifacts rendered as casualties during the Battle of Manila. That was until Salcedo Auctions opened up the vault.
On October 10, the auction house would turn over the bust to commemorate the 101st anniversary of its original donation to the Philippines from Spanish donors. This month also happens to be Luna's birth month (October 25 is his 166th birth anniversary) and the National Museum's Museums and Galleries Month.
Salcedo Auctions actually put the piece up for auction during the Well-Appointed Life sale in mid-September. The auction house had provided critical academic research on the piece, and was obliged to work with the NMP as a sign of goodwill and reverence for the piece. "The decision to withdraw the bust from the auction is done with profound respect and a deep sense of responsibility to preserving and protecting our nation's cultural heritage," Salcedo Auctions Chairman and Chief Specialist Richie Lerma said at the time.
A monumental find, the bust is closely tied to the country's great cataclysms. It has been a voyeur of change, out of the rubble, now out of the shadows.
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Salcedo Auctions Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer Karen Lerma, National Museum Board of Trustees Chairman Andoni Aboitiz, Salcedo Auctions Chairman and Chief Specialist Richie Lerma, and National Museum Director Jeremy Barnes with the bronze bust of Juan Luna y Novicio by Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure.
The Provenance of "Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio"
At the very least, Mariano Benlliure Foundation confirmed the authenticity of the piece. It is only one of two known busts of Luna by the Spanish sculptor. The other one, a painted plaster version, currently sits in the University of Santo Tomas Museum's collection.
The current owner of the said bust, MIB Capital Corporation (formerly, the Multinational Investment Bancorporation), purchased it back in 1979 from artist and antique store proprietor Elsie “Inday” Cadapan. She was said to have acquired it from a junk dealer in the aftermath of WWII. But to really understand its cultural cachet, it must be put in the context of the American and Spanish occupations.
Thirty-eight years after the mold was made, Consul General of Spain Vicente Palmori commissioned the Benlliure brothers to create Luna memorabilia for the American Governor-General Leonard Wood. Juan Antonio would make a copy of the "Spoliarium" that was to be shown at the Legislative Building of the National Library and National Museum while Mariano would create the bronze bust for Quiapo’s Philippine Library and Museum. The two pieces would then be moved to the National Library, and would be lost to the havoc from the Battle of Manila.
Mariano and Luna had an established rapport. It could be said that Benlliure was a friend of the Filipino artist. The two met in Rome when Luna artist was apprenticing under Alejo Vera. Interestingly, the bust's plaster dates back to 1884—the same year Luna won the First Class Medal at Madrid’s Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes for "Spoliarium." It was made in the name of admiration and fraternity by a Spaniard for a Filipino as tensions between the two nations accelerated toward the turn of the century.
Nevertheless, there haven't been any ownership claims since the late '70s acquisition, not by the NMP nor by any public institution. The "Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio" had also once been featured on the cover of Chronicle Magazine in 1967, and was even catalogued by the Filipinas Heritage Library. Hence, the NMP's plea for Salcedo Auctions to reconsider and withdraw the said lot.
A young Luna (far left) is seen here with Pedro Paterno, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Miguel Zaragoza, Juan Antonio Benlliure, Juan Jose Puerto Villanueva, and Mariano Benlliure. The image dates back to 1883 to 1884.
There are also two conflicting stories about the piece's post-war journey. One says that it was sold for P5 to a junk collector after another junk collector pulled the bust from the debris during the war. Filipinas Heritage Library recorded a similar claim, saying that the "Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio" was discovered by a pushcart vendor. The only difference is that in the latter version, it was Ireneo Cristobal who purchased the piece. Cristobal recognized the names on the work, as he, too, was an artist. He was a carver of Taller de Escultura in Manila.
Gifted, recovered, lost, recovered again. This time, it stays where it belongs.
Benlliure’s "Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio" is on permanent display at the Spoliarium Hall of the National Fine Arts Collection.
