{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":61684,"auction_id":209,"set_id":242,"lot_number":"107","artist":"Manuel Arias y Rodríguez (1850 - 1924)","title":"Execution of José Rizal","starting_price":100000,"signed_dated":null,"medium":null,"size":"Original Photograph : Albumen print
\nphotograph mounted on board:
\n8 3/4” x 11 1/4” (22 cm x 29 cm)
\nimage: 6 1/2” x 8 1/2” (17 cm x 22 cm)
\nhandwritten note on border: Execution of Dr. Rizal, On
\nthe Luneta, Manila, Dec 1896","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"E.P. Neill, 13th Minnesota Volunteers, Co. G, Red Wing unit","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"The single most famous photograph of José Rizal — captured just moments before his death — never ceases to startle and amaze. The importance of that somber morning and its impact on the entire country makes this a priceless work of historical importance.
Only a handful in its original form are known to exist. This one belonged to an American soldier named E.P. Neill of the 13th Minnesota Volunteers of Company G, the Red Wing unit. He most probably acquired it as booty during the ensuing Philippine-American War sometime in 1898. The Volunteers were at the vanguard of the American forces after the Battle of Manila Bay, under the command of Brig. General. Arthur MacArthur. They spent eight months in Manila from August 1898, doing garrison and police duty, before deploying north of the city until July 1899. Its American provenance adds another layer to the photograph’s significance, symbolizing the turnover of what Filipinos hold dear from one colonial overlord to another.
The photograph captures all that was oppressive and wrong with the Spanish regime and all that was noble and fine about José Rizal.
It shows Rizal standing, arms bound at the elbow — the white ties visible in the photo — and a chistera (or derby) on his head. He had just been frog-marched some distance from his cell in Fort Santiago, in order to complete his bitter humiliation in front of the entire city, but stands bolt upright, brave and prepared for his end.
There was a gruesome choreography to his death. First, the Filipino troops were massed on three sides, the better to give the impression that Rizal was to die at the hands of his own countrymen.
Immediately in front of Rizal was a drum corps. These men were instructed to play as loud as possible to deliberately drown out Rizal’s voice should he try to address the crowd. (The corps had jauntily played the Spanish national anthem on the way to the killing field.)
The account of one eyewitness who served among the troops, Hilarion Martinez, added further details: “When
He continued, “Then the commanding officer by means of his saber signaled the firing squad to take aim. Then the saber dropped, and there was a simultaneous crack of rifle fire that shattered the stillness of the morning. José Rizal wheeled in one last effort and toppled forward with a thud, his face towards the sky and his derby hat thrown ahead. He had fallen toward the bay.”
At the center of the picture is a stark, leafless tree that conveys the isolation of Rizal and the utter sadness of his death. As did Rizal at the moment of his death, it reaches plaintively to the sky in an eloquent plea for freedom and justice. It is in unique contrast to the crooked line of lampposts, symbols of an antiquated and cruel regime.
Martinez added this last detail: “Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a small dog appeared and ran in circles around Rizal’s fallen body, barking and whimpering. This incident would much later be the subject of our talk in our quarters. Some of my comrades were quick to conclude that it was a premonition of a coming misfortune.”
That pale dog is captured sitting docilely near the Spanish soldiers. Indeed, it would bode the end of the Spanish
Martinez added the last grisly details, “Then the capitan militar de la sanidad (medical officer) stepped forward, knelt before the fallen man, and felt his pulse. Looking up, he beckoned to a member of the firing squad to come forward and give the final tiro de gracia (coup de grace), another shot done at close range. I thought I saw a faint haze rise from Rizal’s coat, but it might have been a wisp of the morning mist. Seeing the body before me, I felt weak.”
Finally, Martinez recounted, “The officers began to show animation again. They fell in formation and marched to the tune of the Spanish national air, the Paso Doble Marcha de Cadiz.”
But it was a heartbreaking moment. Martinez would say soberly, “As was customary in past executions, we filed past the body to view it for the last time. When we were commanded ‘eyes left,’ I did not shut my eyes as I had at the sight of the several reos (convicts) whose heads were blown off by rifle fire.
He intoned, “I wanted to see the face of the man for one last time. Rizal lay dead on the dewy grass. The day had started, and I realized that I was gazing on the face of the great Malayan; that I was witnessing history in the making.”","lot_group":"OBJET D' ARTS","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":700000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":700000,"userBid":34,"isPaid":0,"userId":34,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":25348,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":841120,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":68582,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/209/242/lot/107.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":68808,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/209/242/lot/107a.JPG","isFeatured":0}]},"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":106,"next":108,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}