Half-Tester Bed
An Emilio Alvero matrimonial half tester ‘Rose’ bed
Estimate: PHP 250,000 - 270,000
1920s
Manila
Narra, lanite / kamagong marquetry and inlays
252 x 124 x 216 cm (99 x 49 x 85 in)
Provenance: Formerly from an influential family in Bulacan
Born in Quiapo, Manila, Emilio Alvero (1886 – 1955) was the foremost interior decorator in the Philippines during peacetime – designing houses, furniture, and decorative fixtures for Alta Sociedad in pacesetter Manila and neighboring provinces. He was also a painter and sculptor, among other things. Most notable are the beds he designed for these houses, then executed by the best talleres in Manila, including that of Isabelo Tampinco. He followed the Arts and Crafts style that emphasized on simple, utilitarian design, and the coinciding Art Nouveau style that maintained the simple linearity of lines but added whimsical decorations inspired by natural and organic forms, particularly plants and flowers. The latter style, while it was popular in Europe, wasn’t as popular in America as the design detail requirements cannot be easily mass produced. Filipinos, on the other hand, embraced this style with much gusto, incorporating local floral and plant-inspired motifs. The straight lines of the bed’s frame, posts, legs, headboard and footboard slats are interrupted by the subtle curves of the D-shaped canopy, board top and bottom rails, and the rounded corners at the foot. These are meticulously and painstakingly line inlaid with kamagong and lanite. As decorations, the rose motif in various forms is scattered unstintingly, but thoughtfully, all over the bed: the rose wreath surrounding the recessed center of the oval cartouches, done in startling marquetry using small hand-cut lanite strips; rosettes on the canopy; rose buds at the tips of interspersed slats; running rose vines along headboard and footboard’s top rails; and single stem rose at the corners of bottom rails. The rose flower is a universal symbol of love, romance, longevity, and eternal spring; most appropriately this is a ‘bed of roses’ meant to be shared by a loving couple. Other motifs popular during the period like whiplash curves, geometric shapes, and scrolls – mostly line inlaid – can also be found. This exquisite bed is a testament to Alvero’s design brilliance and the high level of craftsmanship required to execute it with justice. In very good condition.
Lot 118 of the Salcedo Auctions auction on June 25, 2022. Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information.
Half-Tester Bed
An Emilio Alvero matrimonial half tester ‘Rose’ bed
Estimate: PHP 250,000 - 270,000
1920s
Manila
Narra, lanite / kamagong marquetry and inlays
252 x 124 x 216 cm (99 x 49 x 85 in)
Provenance: Formerly from an influential family in Bulacan
Born in Quiapo, Manila, Emilio Alvero (1886 – 1955) was the foremost interior decorator in the Philippines during peacetime – designing houses, furniture, and decorative fixtures for Alta Sociedad in pacesetter Manila and neighboring provinces. He was also a painter and sculptor, among other things. Most notable are the beds he designed for these houses, then executed by the best talleres in Manila, including that of Isabelo Tampinco. He followed the Arts and Crafts style that emphasized on simple, utilitarian design, and the coinciding Art Nouveau style that maintained the simple linearity of lines but added whimsical decorations inspired by natural and organic forms, particularly plants and flowers. The latter style, while it was popular in Europe, wasn’t as popular in America as the design detail requirements cannot be easily mass produced. Filipinos, on the other hand, embraced this style with much gusto, incorporating local floral and plant-inspired motifs. The straight lines of the bed’s frame, posts, legs, headboard and footboard slats are interrupted by the subtle curves of the D-shaped canopy, board top and bottom rails, and the rounded corners at the foot. These are meticulously and painstakingly line inlaid with kamagong and lanite. As decorations, the rose motif in various forms is scattered unstintingly, but thoughtfully, all over the bed: the rose wreath surrounding the recessed center of the oval cartouches, done in startling marquetry using small hand-cut lanite strips; rosettes on the canopy; rose buds at the tips of interspersed slats; running rose vines along headboard and footboard’s top rails; and single stem rose at the corners of bottom rails. The rose flower is a universal symbol of love, romance, longevity, and eternal spring; most appropriately this is a ‘bed of roses’ meant to be shared by a loving couple. Other motifs popular during the period like whiplash curves, geometric shapes, and scrolls – mostly line inlaid – can also be found. This exquisite bed is a testament to Alvero’s design brilliance and the high level of craftsmanship required to execute it with justice. In very good condition.
Lot 118 of the Salcedo Auctions auction on June 25, 2022. Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information.