Vlad Bunoan

A rare late 19th century album of 104 photographs of the Philippines sold for P3,036,800. Handout

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<div> </div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780879152158album-cover.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-dragging" alt="A rare late 19th century album of 104 photographs of the Philippines sold for P3,036,800. Handout"/>A rare late 19th century album of 104 photographs of the Philippines sold for P3,036,800. Handout</div>Unfolding during Independence Month, Salcedo Auctions’ Finer Pursuits sale proved to be an emotional high point for collectors and historians alike, marked by the remarkable final prices of two paintings by National Artist H.R. Ocampo and a rare album of 19th-century photographs of the Philippines — each, in its own way, reflecting the resilience of a nation and the enduring power of its stories.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780879184121sir-richie-auctioneer-small.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Salcedo Auctions chairman and chief specialist Richie Lerma stands before (from left) H.R. Ocampos’s 53-A (sold for P7,592,000), Arabesque (sold for P9,928,000), and Fernando Zobel’s Gestos XXVI-Anzac (sold for P11,680,000). Handout"/>Salcedo Auctions chairman and chief specialist Richie Lerma stands before (from left) H.R. Ocampos’s 53-A (sold for P7,592,000),  Arabesque (sold for P9,928,000), and Fernando Zobel’s  Gestos XXVI-Anzac (sold for P11,680,000). Handout</div>Unbeknownst to art lovers until their public unveiling lastr May 28, the two works by H.R. Ocampo carried a deeply personal provenance-both having been gifted to a former muse, the National Artist for Dance Leonor Orosa Goquingco.&quot;Arabesque&quot; (1949) was presented to Leonor before her marriage to Benjamin Goquingco Sr. “Nauna pa manligaw si Mr. Hernando Ocampo,” recalled her son, Dr. Benjamin “Benjie” Goquingco Jr. “Pero sabi niya, in the back of her mind, ‘He is such a playboy. Papaiyakin niya ako.’” Though romance was not meant to be, the two remained close throughout their lives. “They had a good friendship,” Benjie said. “No hard feelings.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780879217133Benjie-Goquinco-under-950mb.jpg" style="width:655px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="655" alt="Dr. Benjamin Goquingco Jr. standing before H.R. Ocampo’s paintings, which were gifted to his mother, National Artist for Dance Leonor Orosa Goquingco. Handout"/>Dr. Benjamin Goquingco Jr. standing before H.R. Ocampo’s paintings, which were gifted to his mother, National Artist for Dance Leonor Orosa Goquingco. Handout</div>Years later, Ocampo gifted Leonor another work — a painting he titled &quot;53-A&quot; in keeping with the abstract nature of his work, this one representing a mother and child. Both would remain in the Goquingco home for decades before their eventual release from the family collection, fulfilling a wish Leonor expressed in the final moments of her life.As Benjie recalled, his mother&#x27;s dying wish was for a revival of her beloved &quot;Filipinescas,&quot; Leonor’s landmark ballet. Determined not to burden her heirs with the financial demands of mounting a major production, she left clear instructions.“She said, ‘Use these if there&#x27;s going to be a revival of &#x27;Filipinescas&#x27; in the future,” Benjie shared. “Sell it, don&#x27;t hold on to it. Just sell it to fund the production.”“Even from beyond the grave,” Benjie mused, “parang she is micro-managing us — to do this, do that.”To honor her vision, Benjie fulfilled that wish in grand fashion. At the vernissage preceding the June 6 auction, he presented an excerpt from &quot;Filipinescas.&quot; Against the backdrop of Ocampo’s paintings, two dancers moved to the composition of National Artist for Music Antonio J. Molina, interpreted by the renowned concert pianist Zenas Reyes Lozada. It was  a stirring spectacle that united three groundbreaking artists in a singular expression of the Filipino spirit — on canvas, in movement, and in sound.If the performance was a tribute, the auction itself last Saturday, June 6, became its triumphant encore.Ocampo’s &quot;Mother and Child&quot; soared to a final price of P7,592,000, while &quot;Arabesque&quot; climbed even higher to achieve P9,928,000. It was a fitting outcome for works that had quietly witnessed decades of Philippine cultural history from the walls of the Goquingco home. One could not help but feel that Leonor herself — whose career was defined by determination, vision, and an unwavering belief in Filipino artistry — had somehow willed the moment into being.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780879313694Hong kong junta.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="A rare, and remarkably preserved group photo featuring Emilio Aguinaldo and the figures associated with the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Handout"/>A rare, and remarkably preserved group photo featuring Emilio Aguinaldo and the figures associated with the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Handout</div>Another highlight of the sale was the spirited bidding for a rare album containing 104 photographs of late 19th-century Philippines. Achieving a final price of P3,036,800, the album stands as an invaluable historical record of a nation on the cusp of transformation.Among its treasures is a remarkably clear photograph of Emilio Aguinaldo alongside figures associated with the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. Yet the most arresting images are those that capture the final moments of Filipino heroes: José Rizal standing before the firing squad on December 30, 1896, and the before-and-after photos of the Thirteen Martyrs of Bagumbayan awaiting the same fate just 12 days later. In one image, Moises Salvador is seen lying on the ground, too weakened by torture to stand beside his compatriots.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178087943827513 Martyrs.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="The before-and-after photos of the 13 Martyrs of Bagumbayan, with one showing Moises Salvador lying on the ground while awaiting execution, too weak from torture to stand with his compatriots."/>The before-and-after photos of the 13 Martyrs of Bagumbayan, with one  showing Moises Salvador lying on the ground while awaiting execution, too weak from torture to stand with his compatriots.</div>As the nation commemorates Independence Month, the success of these lots serves as a reminder that the story of freedom is preserved not only in textbooks and monuments, but also in the objects that bear witness to it. Whether through the visionary artistry of Ocampo and Goquingco or the haunting photographs of the country&#x27;s revolutionary heroes, these works connect Filipinos to the ideals, sacrifices, and aspirations that shaped the nation. In celebrating them, collectors become more than custodians of art and history to become stewards of memory itself.For the full auction results and consignment offers to its next marquee sale &quot;The Well-Appointed Life&quot; on September 12, visit salcedoauctions.com

Unfolding during Independence Month, Salcedo Auctions’ Finer Pursuits sale proved to be an emotional high point for collectors and historians alike

Unfolding during Independence Month, Salcedo Auctions’ Finer Pursuits sale proved to be an emotional high point for collectors and historians alike

Heroes in art, dance, and the Philippine revolution triumph at Salcedo Auctions’ June 6 sale

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Heroes in art, dance, and the Philippine revolution triumph at Salcedo Auctions’ June 6 sale

ABS-CBN News

Published June 08, 2026 11:14 AM PHT

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