Objects 40 Sitting atop
Objects 40 Sitting atop one of the largest gold deposits on Earth, the Philippines has a rich history of golden jewellery and relics. Stephanie Zubiri explores the rich legacy and how contemporary Philippine jewellers are building from it Photography by Scott A Woodward A piece representing the Garuda, a mythological bird in Southeast Asian mythology with Hindu origins – evidence of pre-colonial crosscultural relations in the Philippines National Treasure Heart of Gold P ieces of gold, the size of walnuts and eggs, are found by sifting the earth in the island of that king who came to our ships,” wrote explorer Antonio Pigafetta about Rajah Siagu upon the 1521 arrival of the Magellan expedition to Butuan. “All the dishes of that king are of gold and also some portions of his house as we were told by that king himself. He had a covering of silk on his head, and wore two large golden earrings fastened in his ears ... At his side hung a dagger, the shaft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its scabbard of carved wood. He had three spots of gold on every tooth, and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold.” Unbeknownst to most, the Philippines possesses one of the world’s largest gold deposits and has a rich mining history dating back as far as 1,000 BCE. With very few existing ancestral manuscripts, golden artefacts from these times are among the only direct links to Filipino heritage. Challenging the notion of “savage indigents” needing colonisation, the CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
41 Lighting and jewellery designer Mark Wilson discovery of the Surigao Treasure – a vast cache of ancient relics discovered by chance in 1981 and confirmed as genuine by the 16th-century Boxer Codex – further revealed an elaborate culture of skilled goldsmiths and a flourishing maritime trade society that predates the arrival of the Spanish. “It’s a symbol of richness, not oppression,” says Aileen Bautista of her fascination with precolonial gold. The Manilabased business professor, along with her husband, banker Edwin Bautista, has amassed one of the country’s most impressive private collections of excavated gold, a large portion of which recently showed at Salcedo Auctions in Manila. Some of the Bautistas’ more notable pieces have been exhibited in the famed Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. “[The pieces are] a window to the soul of our ancestors,” she remarks. The Salcedo exhibition featured approximately a dozen preserved death masks, countless necklaces, earrings and rings, sashes and other accessories, each more ornate than the next. “Look at this necklace, it’s called tutubi, or dragonfly. The details are incredible! How can they do that?” wonders Aileen. Tiny dots of gold engulf perfectly round beads, creating stunningly complex craftsmanship that resembles the dainty insect. Other pieces are incredibly thin, hammered specimens with stamped designs or delicate mechanisms with minuscule chains that flutter and dance like leaves in the wind. All this is a clear testament to the sophistication of the indigenous civilisation before the Philippines was “discovered” by the West. “The past tells us a lot about possibilities,” says Edwin. “As a people, there is nothing that disqualifies The beauty of these pieces is that they are inherited and passed on from their ancestors. These are pieces that are still in circulation and have a significant cultural meaning us from being at the front of the race. We can harness that richness from deep into our past, to give us the confidence to achieve whatever we wish in the future.” Shining gloriously in their display cases, these beautiful relics remain surprisingly vivid despite their age. It’s living proof of that intoxicating magic of gold; capable of igniting a fire, launching ships into expeditions across the seven seas and driving humankind into feverish frenzy in the quest of the prized metal. “Have you heard of Ophir?” asks Pinky Magsano, conspiratorially. “There’s a legend that the land of Ophir, from which King Solomon’s gold came, was the Philippines. In fact, some believe the Queen of Sheba was from Cebu.” Magsano, a longtime collector and trader of Philippine antiques is referencing Ophir Philippines, a book written by Timothy Schwab and Anna Zamoranos, which proffers an extensive exploration of evidence to support this hypothesis. Clad in a vibrant woolly sweater, her handmade necklace of chunky antique gold pieces and trade beads glimmers in – Mark Wilson the fleeting soft afternoon sun. Regal in her own eclectic way, Magsano could very well be the Queen of Sheba herself. She is part of a handful of intelligentsia passionate about the Philippines’ Gilded Age who have gathered in the living room of designer and collector Mark Wilson’s Baguio apartment. “It was important for you to come to Baguio to see the gold artefacts they have here,” Wilson tells me. “It’s very different from the lowland gold that you see in most exhibits, which is commonly known as ‘excavated gold’.” As each collector proudly displays their prized possessions, the glittering pieces illuminate the room in stark contrast to the cool, misty mountain weather outside.
