Male Saint in Ivory
Ivory Head of Male Saint
18th Century
Ivory with Kamagong base
head:
H: 8" (20 cm)
L: 5 1/2" (14 cm)
W: 5" (13 cm)
left hand:
H: 5 1/4" (13 cm)
L: 1 1/4" (3 cm)
W: 3" (8 cm)
right hand:
H: 3 1/2" (9 cm)
L: 2 1/4" (6 cm)
W: 2" (5 cm)
total size with base:
H: 19 1/2" (50 cm)
L: 9" (23 cm)
W: 7" (18 cm)
Starting Price: ₱ 400,000
Provenance: Manila workshop
A very sensitively carved head of a male santo, with a skillfully articulated beard. The face is gaunt and lacking in the aristocratic "fullness" of later 19th-century ivory heads. But the gauntness only adds to the otherworldly elegance and focused serenity of the expression. Again, we have an example of the Oriental reserve, the inscrutable face worn in the presence of others. This detached, distant expression has led many to say that Filipino ivories, and santos in general, lack the effusive drama and heightened emotion of their European counterparts; or to the theory that these early ivories were carved only by Chinese converts.
It is difficult to essay a guess on exactly who is portrayed. Such a piece would have been meant for a processional "santo de vestir", an image in the ornate style, meant to be vested. Once mounted on a wooden body and dressed in the appropriate vestments with the correct attributes, the identity of the saint would have emerged. But it is clear that a wig would have been used to complete this male santo. Could he be Joseph, the husband of Mary? Perhaps one of the evangelists? Maybe even the carver of the piece did not know exactly who he was portraying. Many such large heads began their processional careers ,as one particular saint. With time , depending on the whims of the owner or the demands of the liturgical seasons, the identity could very easily change. (Floy Quintos)
Lot 87 of the Leon Gallery auction on September 13, 2025. For more information and to place an online bid, please go to www.leon-gallery.com and www.leonexchange.com.
Male Saint in Ivory
Ivory Head of Male Saint
18th Century
Ivory with Kamagong base
head:
H: 8" (20 cm)
L: 5 1/2" (14 cm)
W: 5" (13 cm)
left hand:
H: 5 1/4" (13 cm)
L: 1 1/4" (3 cm)
W: 3" (8 cm)
right hand:
H: 3 1/2" (9 cm)
L: 2 1/4" (6 cm)
W: 2" (5 cm)
total size with base:
H: 19 1/2" (50 cm)
L: 9" (23 cm)
W: 7" (18 cm)
Starting Price: ₱ 400,000
Provenance: Manila workshop
A very sensitively carved head of a male santo, with a skillfully articulated beard. The face is gaunt and lacking in the aristocratic "fullness" of later 19th-century ivory heads. But the gauntness only adds to the otherworldly elegance and focused serenity of the expression. Again, we have an example of the Oriental reserve, the inscrutable face worn in the presence of others. This detached, distant expression has led many to say that Filipino ivories, and santos in general, lack the effusive drama and heightened emotion of their European counterparts; or to the theory that these early ivories were carved only by Chinese converts.
It is difficult to essay a guess on exactly who is portrayed. Such a piece would have been meant for a processional "santo de vestir", an image in the ornate style, meant to be vested. Once mounted on a wooden body and dressed in the appropriate vestments with the correct attributes, the identity of the saint would have emerged. But it is clear that a wig would have been used to complete this male santo. Could he be Joseph, the husband of Mary? Perhaps one of the evangelists? Maybe even the carver of the piece did not know exactly who he was portraying. Many such large heads began their processional careers ,as one particular saint. With time , depending on the whims of the owner or the demands of the liturgical seasons, the identity could very easily change. (Floy Quintos)
Lot 87 of the Leon Gallery auction on September 13, 2025. For more information and to place an online bid, please go to www.leon-gallery.com and www.leonexchange.com.