WATCH! The country’s foremost glass sculptor Ramon Orlina tells Ces Oreña Drilon in an ANCX exclusive how he became an auction star, and why despite the demand for his sculptures he remains each piece’s principal maker, intimately familiar with every line and every angle. Eight of Mr. Orlina’s works—among which is a fantastic carved Asahi glass piece called Mt. Makiling II whose starting price is a cool P6-M—are among the highlights of tomorrow’s Leon Gallery Kingly Treasures Auction, co-presented by ANCX.

"These seemingly simple Baliuag furniture actually have very noble antecedents" - Augusto Marcelino Reyes Gonzales III Antiques Expert and Social Historian Augusto Marcelino Reyes Gonzales III walks us through this elegant Comoda de Poste from Baliuag, Bulacan. Composed of golden narra wood, Carabao bone, lanite wood, and kamagong wood inlays, this simple and timeless piece can trace its roots from the influential to the American Federal style and even the works of eighteenth-century English Sheraton cabinetmakers.

The Foundations of Two Living Masters: Danilo Dalena & Ronald Ventura Two monumental masterpieces by two of the foremost Filipino artists are in the spotlight at the León Gallery Kingly Treasures Auction. Danilo Dalena’s majestic Quiapo captures the tumult of the throng of the Feast of the Black Nazarene: A modern-day spectacle in the temper of the Spoliarium with the most number of figures to be found in a single Dalena work. Ronald Ventura's Blind Mechanism, on the other hand, was exhibited for the occasion of the prestigious Thirteen Artist awards which Ventura won that year.

"When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object.” — Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being In both life and in art, truth comes in many forms. From the architectural simplicity of Arturo Luz’ Cyclist, the unhurried harmony of Fernando Zobel's Luminosa II and Romulo Olazo’s Diaphanous A XI, Jose Joya's quietly existential piece titled Man's Life Cycle, the stillness of Lao Lianben and the splendor of F. Aguilar Alcuaz’ Night at the Marantz and to the F. Concepcion opus, let this curated selection of works not only help you experience the many truths art has to offer, but also the many ways beauty can move the soul.

December is always a special time for the Queen of Our Hearts, Mama Mary, symbol of all the mothers in the universe. This Dec 3, behold the many faces of Maria — from the jewel-like ivory baby Mary, La Niña Dormida from the Velez-Zaragoza-Araneta holdings; to Amorsolo's copy of the Raphael Cowper Madonna, to Malang’s veneration of the Carroza, to Jose ‘John’ Santos III, Mary of History. All things bright and beautiful shine at the Kingly Treasures Auction 2022 on Dec 3rd.

“Beyond exquisite” is the serendipitous term for this “La Nina Dormida” - Augusto MR Gonzalez III Collector and Social Historian Augusto MR Gonzalez III shares the story of this miniature depiction of the baby Virgin Mary sleeping in a carved ivory four-poster, all from the 18th century. This extraordinary piece is a prized heirloom that can be traced to the Rodriguez–Infante hacendero family of Guagua town, Pampanga. Since then, it has passed down to the Velez-Zaragoza-Araneta grandees of Calle R Hidalgo — and has found its way to the country's biggest year-end auction.