Fooling the Eye...
Trompe-l'oeil, Fooling the Eye and other Forms of Eck Eck
Mary Magdalene
Hispano-Filipino
c. 1750-1815
Solid ivory image surrounded by a silver radiance known as a “Rafaga”.
Height of Ivory: 9 in; 13.5 in to top of crown; 17 in to top of radiance.
Overall Height w/ Base: 19.5”h.
This imposing figure is supposedly an ivory carving of the image of Mary Magdalene. But this is an intentional deception in that in this iconography, she is presented as if she were the Virgin Mary. She wears a silver crown. And her entire body is surrounded by a nimbus of light known as the “Rafaga”. At first blush, one is lead to believe that this is an image of the Virgin. And since the Rafaga is traditionally associated only with images of Christ or the Virgin, the addition of this feature was an intentional act to deceive.
According to the auction catalog, this image was formerly in the collection of a Connecticut gentleman and his wife who lived in Columbia for over a decade. This object was purchased from a friend who told him that the image was found in Cali and is reputed to have arrived at Buenaventura, Columbia from Acapulco sometime between 1665-1815.
However, a closer examination of the figure reveals the truth. This is not an image of the Virgin nor any of the Catholic saints. This is a standing image of the goddess Guan-Yin. On her right hand, she holds a rosary-like chaplet of beads but those are just Buddhist prayers beads and have no Catholic symbolism. On her left hand she is supposed to hold the “Holy Grail”. In actuality, she holds a Ruyi scepter, a ceremonial talisman in Chinese Buddhism symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore.
The dates provided are also irrelevant and misleading. The years between 1665 and 1815 span the entire period of the Manila Galleon trade. Anything and everything arrived in the New World from the East at this time! In other words, they are meaningless.
Although attributed to the Hispano-Filipino workshops, the carving style of the image is not consistent with Philippine carving of images of the Virgin or other female saints. The image wears a long robe which falls in lanky horizontal folds ending at the hem. Her toes do not peep through. She wears no mantle. The edges of the tunic are decorated with geometric designs unknown in Philippine iconography. The carving of the hair is wrong for this attribution. The eponymous “suksuk” or tuck is missing. And her lips are not painted with the trademark orange-red hue of Philippine made saints.
It’s amazing what a little bit of silver can do to fool the eye.
Fooling the Eye...
Trompe-l'oeil, Fooling the Eye and other Forms of Eck Eck
Mary Magdalene
Hispano-Filipino
c. 1750-1815
Solid ivory image surrounded by a silver radiance known as a “Rafaga”.
Height of Ivory: 9 in; 13.5 in to top of crown; 17 in to top of radiance.
Overall Height w/ Base: 19.5”h.
This imposing figure is supposedly an ivory carving of the image of Mary Magdalene. But this is an intentional deception in that in this iconography, she is presented as if she were the Virgin Mary. She wears a silver crown. And her entire body is surrounded by a nimbus of light known as the “Rafaga”. At first blush, one is lead to believe that this is an image of the Virgin. And since the Rafaga is traditionally associated only with images of Christ or the Virgin, the addition of this feature was an intentional act to deceive.
According to the auction catalog, this image was formerly in the collection of a Connecticut gentleman and his wife who lived in Columbia for over a decade. This object was purchased from a friend who told him that the image was found in Cali and is reputed to have arrived at Buenaventura, Columbia from Acapulco sometime between 1665-1815.
However, a closer examination of the figure reveals the truth. This is not an image of the Virgin nor any of the Catholic saints. This is a standing image of the goddess Guan-Yin. On her right hand, she holds a rosary-like chaplet of beads but those are just Buddhist prayers beads and have no Catholic symbolism. On her left hand she is supposed to hold the “Holy Grail”. In actuality, she holds a Ruyi scepter, a ceremonial talisman in Chinese Buddhism symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore.
The dates provided are also irrelevant and misleading. The years between 1665 and 1815 span the entire period of the Manila Galleon trade. Anything and everything arrived in the New World from the East at this time! In other words, they are meaningless.
Although attributed to the Hispano-Filipino workshops, the carving style of the image is not consistent with Philippine carving of images of the Virgin or other female saints. The image wears a long robe which falls in lanky horizontal folds ending at the hem. Her toes do not peep through. She wears no mantle. The edges of the tunic are decorated with geometric designs unknown in Philippine iconography. The carving of the hair is wrong for this attribution. The eponymous “suksuk” or tuck is missing. And her lips are not painted with the trademark orange-red hue of Philippine made saints.
It’s amazing what a little bit of silver can do to fool the eye.