13 May 2008
2008 – 17
Dear Brothers and Partners:
Of Interest: Gold of Ancestors Exhibition. I am highly recommending an exhibition I
saw Saturday, 10 May, at the Ayala Museum in Makati called Gold of Ancestors. It is one
of three exhibitions included in Crossroads of Civilization, the other two being
Embroidered Multiples (18th – 19th Century Philippine Costumes) and A Millennium of Contact (Chinese and Southeast Asian Trade Ceramics in the Philippines).
Gold of Ancestors showcases 1,056 precious objects from the 10th – 13th century mostly
from the Visayas and Mindanao although a few come from the mountainous region of
Northern Luzon. The exhibition includes a spectacular array of golden sashes, necklaces,
pectorals, diadems, earrings and finger rings, bracelets and angklets. There are also
icons, funerary masks and various ritual objects.
The collection, publicly exhibited for the first time, mostly comes from the family of the late
National Artist and architect, Leandro Locsin. Among the noteworthy objects is a gold
vessel in the shape of a creature that is half-bird, half-woman. It is the “kinmari” of Hindu
mythology. There is a plaque that depicts a female figure in an elaborate headdress with a
tree-of-life motif. There is a 5-inch ear stud in a stylized flower design. The centerpiece of
the exhibition however, is an intricately crafted gold halter, weighing almost four kilograms,
that is believed to be the Upavita, or Sacred Thread, of the sort worn by the elite Brahmin
class in traditional Hindu society.
The breadth and depth of the objects on display suggest that ancient Filipinos had closer
links to their Southeast Asian neighbors than is more commonly believed.
It is a must see exhibition, excellently curated by Florina Capistrano – Baker Ph.D.
Fraternally,
Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC
Brother Provincial
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