{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":9971,"auction_id":10,"set_id":17,"lot_number":"1292","artist":"Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969)","title":"Untitled","starting_price":500000,"signed_dated":"ca. 1966/1967","medium":"hardwood door","size":"panel size 19” x 36 1/2” (48 cm x 92 cm) each\ndoor: 82” x 47 1/2” x 2 1/2” (208 cm x 121 cm x 6 cm)","property":"PROPERTY FROM THE DR. REMEDIOS SUNTAY COLLECTION","coa":null,"provenance":"PROVENANCE\nAcquired directly from the artist","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"This exquisitely carved door manifests itself in two ways: a symbol of a short-lived yet worthwhile friendship between the artist, Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco,’ and his patron, Dr. Remedios Suntay, and a passionate declaration of the former’s patriotism through his artistic practice. Renowned New York-trained anesthesiologist Dr. Suntay first met the eminent Botong as a patient, eventually becoming a close friend. “He was a very nice guy. He loved basketball and would complain of all kinds of aches and pains,” Dr. Suntay recalled. “We struck up a friendship, and I would visit him in his kubo (Botong’s studio) in Angono.” Their friendship embodied the meeting of science and arts in the flesh. Aside from being a master muralist, Botong developed a fondness for woodcarving, likely influenced by his wife’s hometown of Paete, the Woodcarving Capital of the Philippines. On a felicitous occasion, Botong would unveil this penchant to his dear friend through a rare present—a carved narra door. Dr. Suntay shared in a May 2021 ANCX article the origins of the carved door. Sometime in 1966 or 1967, Dr. Suntay had her Magallanes Village abode constructed. As a thoughtful gesture, Botong volunteered to design its main doorway. The resulting obra was the first “Botong” Dr. Suntay had ever possessed, adding more significance to the piece. Made of narra, it is carved with three framed scenes each on both sides. The front side greets visitors with its depiction of the Filipinos’ various means of food production: hunting, agriculture, and gathering. The back presents a more detailed outlook on our heritage diversity, focusing on our traditional dances. In all the enthusiasm and solemnity attached to such traditions—which Botong faithfully depicted—his Filipino sensibility becomes more apparent. The back presents a more detailed outlook on our heritage diversity, focusing on our traditional dances. Here, Botong’s Filipino sensibility becomes more apparent. The topmost frame depicts an Ifugao ceremonial wedding dance. A tender couple dances to the accompaniment of Cordilleran instruments. A man on the right pounds a conical drum resting between his thighs, while a man on the left strikes the gangsa with a wooden stick. Gong playing is integral to Cordilleran rituals. The couple celebrates the joy of marriage, with the mystical crescent moon bearing witness to their loving union. The charming ‘Pandanggo sa Ilaw,’ which mimics the fluttering of the fireflies at night, is detailed in the middle. A woman dressed in her fine baro’t saya gracefully balances three lit candles on her head and hands and sublimely dances to the accompaniment of a guitar. The bottom frame presents the courtly ‘Singkil’ of the Maranao. The central figure delicately maneuvers herself in and out of the bamboo poles while gracefully fluttering two elaborately designed fans known as the apir. The act represents a scene in the Darangan epic: Princess Gandingan attempts to escape from a forest where the diwatas entrapped her until Prince Bantugan rescues her. The door at hand predates another set of narra wood reliefs depicting the same dances, albeit carved in a different style. Titled Katutubong Sayaw, (Philippine Folk Dances) Depicting the Singkil, Pandanggo sa Ilaw, Subli of Batangas, and an Ifugao Ritual Dance, it was made by Botong in 1969 and given to Dr. Suntay one afternoon that same year. The door was auctioned at Leon Gallery in June 2021. Botong and Dr. Suntay’s friendship would be cut short with the former’s death in March 1969. But their close bond and Botong’s benevolence are indelibly carved in this work. Beyond being a symbol of friendship, this piece encapsulates Botong in one of his most experimental ventures. Yet, he still retains his firm commitment to embrace his Filipino sensibility and espouse our heritage’s richness from where his artistic standpoint flows. (A.M.)","lot_group":"SCULPTURE","lot_details_html":"<p><strong>Carlos V. Francisco (1912 - 1969)</strong><br /><em>Untitled</em><br />ca. 1966/1967 <br />hardwood door<br />panel size 19&rdquo; x 36 1/2&rdquo; (48 cm x 92 cm) each<br />door: 82&rdquo; x 47 1/2&rdquo; x 2 1/2&rdquo; (208 cm x 121 cm x 6 cm)</p>","alias":null,"hp":550000,"bp":0.168,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":550000,"userBid":7118,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":642400,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":10113,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/10/17/lot/1292.jpg","isFeatured":1}]},"increment":[450000,500000,550000,600000,650000,700000,750000,800000,900000,1000000,1100000,1200000,1300000,1400000,1500000,1600000,1700000,1800000,1900000,2000000,2200000,2400000,2600000,2800000,3000000,3200000,3400000,3600000,3800000,4000000,4200000,4400000,4600000,4800000,5000000,5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":1291,"next":1293,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}