{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":58410,"auction_id":121,"set_id":155,"lot_number":"44","artist":"Félix Martínez y Lorenzo (1859 - c. 1916)","title":"Barrio Scene","starting_price":700000,"signed_dated":"signed <br /> ca. 1888","medium":"oil on mother-of-pearl","size":"8\" x 7 1/2\" (20 cm x 19 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Private collection, Spain","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Felix Martinez y Lorenzo belonged to the brilliant generation that included Juan Luna, Felix Resurrección Hidalgo, and José Rizal—artists and intellectuals whose talents shaped the cultural consciousness of the late Spanish colonial period. A painter of dependable, quietly luminous skill, Martinez would come to be celebrated as a master of the paisaje, capturing the Philippine countryside with a sensitivity that was both affectionate and keenly observant. His works reveal a deep familiarity with the rhythms of everyday life, as if he painted not merely what he saw, but what he understood of his homeland. <br /> <br />His early distinction as one of the chosen illustrators for Fr. Manuel Blanco’s monumental La Flora de Filipinas placed him in extraordinary company. That select circle included Agustín Sáez, head of the Manila academy; the young but prodigious Hidalgo; and beloved maestro Lorenzo Guerrero. Within that project, Martinez honed the delicacy and precision that would mark his later landscapes— an approach that blended scientific clarity with artistic tenderness. <br /> <br />Martinez moved fluidly within the Manila–Madrid art world. He taught at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Manila, participated in major exhibitions both in Spain and the Philippines, and moved through intellectual circles that connected colonial Manila to the booming cultural centers of Europe. Born into a prosperous Sta. Cruz family, he is believed to have studied at the famed Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, a training that sharpened his draftsmanship and broadened his artistic horizons. Today, his works reside in national institutions, bearing witness to his significance within Philippine art history. <br /> <br />Through constant sketching and reportage, he developed a remarkable fluency: he could capture a fleeting moment with vitality, or render an entire townscape with affection and precision. Barrio Scene reflects this mastery. Painted on a capiz shell—already a uniquely Filipino canvas—it captures a pastoral vignette that feels both intimate and idyllic. A fisherman stands by the water’s edge, casting his line; behind him rise clusters of native huts, lush plantings, and towering bamboo. The landscape unfolds with the soft glow of late afternoon light, the air thick with the quiet industry of rural life. Martinez’s brush seems to linger lovingly over these details, preserving not merely a scene, but a way of life—unhurried, deeply rooted, and in harmony with the land. The delicate curvature and iridescence of the shell add a natural luminosity to the painting, giving the image a gentle radiance that transforms the modest subject into something almost jewel-like. It is a work that carries both charm and historical weight: a window into the late 19th-century countryside, and a testament to the artist’s gift for elevating everyday Filipino scenes into enduring art. (Jed Daya)","lot_group":"OBJET D' ARTS","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":1000000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":1000000,"userBid":null,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":0,"hammer_price":1201600,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":63664,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/121/155/lot/44.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":63889,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/121/155/lot/44a.jpg","isFeatured":0}]},"increment":[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":43,"next":45,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}