Altar Table
A Batangas ‘Olympic’ altar table
ESTIMATE: PHP 700,000 - 750,000
Mid-19th century
Batangas
Balayong wood, kamagong and lanite inlays, brass hardware
83 x 129.5 x 62.5 cm (32 3/4 x 51 x 24 1/2 in)
Provenance:
Property of the family of Rosita Mercado of Lemery, Batangas
First appearing in Assyrian architecture as a type of decorative running ornament featuring two intertwining bands that repeat in a pattern of crossing intervals, it continued through Greek and Roman culture, then became known in 18th-century France as guilloche, which spread throughout the Georgian period in England. It symbolized unity and eternity. In furniture, these designs were often botanically inspired, appearing as waves, snowflakes, ribbons, and—in the case of this altar table—interlocking rings colloquially called nowadays the ‘Olympic’ motif, referencing the Olympic rings created in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin.
Placed in the most prestigious spot in the main living room of a colonial home, the family’s venerated santo images were enshrined on top of the altar table; prayer books, rosaries, candles, santo garments, and other important items were stored in its drawers. Made entirely of dark balayong wood (Afzelia rhomboidea), a highly prized rosewood, it features a reddish-brown hue that darkens with age. A solid one-piece top rests on a frame with two smaller drawers above a larger one, all fitted with silver escutcheons and hand-hammered iron drop bail handles, and inlaid with fine borders of kamagong and lanite wood looping below the keyhole and sharply caving at the corners. The Olympic motif, carved in low relief, appears vividly on all four side flanges that taper downward with ogee-shaped extensions, as well as on the front and side aprons, creating a beautifully balanced piece of colonial furniture. Standing on square tapered legs, placing its age fittingly around the middle of the 19th century.
Lot 810 of the Salcedo Auctions online and live auction on 27 September 2025. For more information and to place an online bid, please go to salcedoauctions.com.
Altar Table
A Batangas ‘Olympic’ altar table
ESTIMATE: PHP 700,000 - 750,000
Mid-19th century
Batangas
Balayong wood, kamagong and lanite inlays, brass hardware
83 x 129.5 x 62.5 cm (32 3/4 x 51 x 24 1/2 in)
Provenance:
Property of the family of Rosita Mercado of Lemery, Batangas
First appearing in Assyrian architecture as a type of decorative running ornament featuring two intertwining bands that repeat in a pattern of crossing intervals, it continued through Greek and Roman culture, then became known in 18th-century France as guilloche, which spread throughout the Georgian period in England. It symbolized unity and eternity. In furniture, these designs were often botanically inspired, appearing as waves, snowflakes, ribbons, and—in the case of this altar table—interlocking rings colloquially called nowadays the ‘Olympic’ motif, referencing the Olympic rings created in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin.
Placed in the most prestigious spot in the main living room of a colonial home, the family’s venerated santo images were enshrined on top of the altar table; prayer books, rosaries, candles, santo garments, and other important items were stored in its drawers. Made entirely of dark balayong wood (Afzelia rhomboidea), a highly prized rosewood, it features a reddish-brown hue that darkens with age. A solid one-piece top rests on a frame with two smaller drawers above a larger one, all fitted with silver escutcheons and hand-hammered iron drop bail handles, and inlaid with fine borders of kamagong and lanite wood looping below the keyhole and sharply caving at the corners. The Olympic motif, carved in low relief, appears vividly on all four side flanges that taper downward with ogee-shaped extensions, as well as on the front and side aprons, creating a beautifully balanced piece of colonial furniture. Standing on square tapered legs, placing its age fittingly around the middle of the 19th century.
Lot 810 of the Salcedo Auctions online and live auction on 27 September 2025. For more information and to place an online bid, please go to salcedoauctions.com.