More works of art and historical pieces also broke records at León Gallery’s auction.
At the Magnificent September Auction 2024 last weekend, León Gallery sold several paintings and historical documents at record prices.
The auction’s top lot was Fernando Amorsolo’s “Under the Mango Tree” which sold for P57,676,800, already including the buyer’s premium and taxes. Breaking the auction house’s own record, it is now the most expensive Amorsolo painting ever sold.
Top Auction Lots
Amorsolo’s “Under the Mango Tree,” painted in 1929, had a starting price of P18 million and ended up breaking the painter’s six-year record.
The previous record for an Amorsolo painting was set by his piece “Mango Gatherers” in 2018 when it sold for P46,720,000.
In an interview with the gallery, the painter’s daughter Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo said that memories of her father flashed back while seeing “Under the Mango Tree.”
“I will simply say Papa is a genius. And I remember when he paints, it is so easy for him. So easy,” she reminisced. “Definitely, it is my father’s work.”
Amorsolo’s “Ifugaos in Mines View Park” also fetched an impressive price of P18,024,000.
Speaking of breaking records, Alfonso Ossorio’s 1957 “Untitled” set a world record for the painter after selling for P33,644,800. The abstract painting belonged to his own family’s collection.
Meanwhile, Juan Luna’s “Portrait of Adele della Rocca” just became the most expensive of his portraits sold at auction.
Sold for P31,241,600, the painting depicts the niece of the senior aide-de-camp of King Umberto I of Italy.
Its outstanding auction result may also be because of the fact that it was painted in 1884, the same year Luna produced his most iconic work, the “Spoliarium.”
Setting More Records
Other paintings that set records for their artists at auction include Jason Cortez’s “The Graces” (P2,283,040) and Arce’s “Surrender All Unto Him and Everything Will Bloom According to Thy Will” (P1,922,560).
Aside from paintings, a rare manuscript copy of the 1898 Declaration of Independence fetched P11,415,200. The manuscript is now the most expensive Philippine historical document sold at auction.
Dubbed the “Birth Certificate of the Filipino Nation,” the document is a handwritten copy done by Lt. Col. Jose Bañuelo, a signatory of the official declaration.
The record previously belonged to the 1897 “Extremely Rare and Historically Important Letter from Andres Bonifacio to Emilio Jacinto.” León Gallery also sold the document back in 2018 for P5.6 million.
Images via León Gallery’s official website.
