Provenance: Parian Workshops Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

Traveling chests of cordovan leather made from the skin of a horse’s rump were popular in 17th and 18th century Spain. They were usually made of plain, unadorned leather, but the more luxurious kinds were tooled with profuse arabesque decoration and were painted and gilded. Since horses were scarce in the Philippines and had to be imported from China, a local version of this baulmundo was made of kalantas or Philippine cedar. Since kalantas repelled moths, chests made of this material were used to store woolen clothes on which such insects feasted on. The baul mundo of kalantas always had a domed top, and all its surfaces were profusely carved with scrolls and arabesques in the Moorish Style with a touch of the local okir designs. The artsians who used the leather chests as models even included the straps when copying the piece. This is evident in the four carved vertical strips running from the front, over the lid and to the back of the chest. The baul was always painted in primary colors, often embellished with gilding. The polychrome of this particular chest, however, has either been worn away through the centuries or stripped down to conform to the 1970’s fad of exposing the wood of antiques. The chest has cantoneras, right-angled metal strips with decorative ends nailed at the middle of the sides and the top, as well asa t the corners of the lid to prevent the wooden panels from falling apart due to rough handling during the voyage. A wrought-iron strap riveted to the lid originally had a hinged plate (now missing) that fell over the keyhole to be locked into place with a key. The keyhole shield, a multi-lobed circular wrought-iron piece, is attached to the chest by small nails to form a dotted border. On either side of the baul is a wrought-iron handle attached to rings for the purpose of carrying the chest. The entire surface of the chest, divided into a wide central panel flanked by narrower ones, is completely covered by carving. A large rondel containing a double-headed eagle, the seal of the Habsburg Dynasty, decorates the top of the baul. The Augustinian Order was allowed to use it by Royal Decree, for being the first missionaries in the islands. Large, symmetrically carved foliate scrolls meander upward from the bottom in front and at the back to seemingly support the rondel. The narrower panels flanking it are carved with leafy vine scrolls that also meet at the top of the lid. The sides of the baul are carved with the same design as that of the wide central panel. -Martin I. Tinio, Jr.