This piece is accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

One of Fernando Amorsolo’s most celebrated paintings is Planting Rice, whose appearance on calendars that circled the country would cement his reputation as a household name. He would not only create many versions of this beloved scene of farmers working in lush green fields but also masterpieces of every part of the cycle of rice growing, including its harvesting, winnowing, and pounding. It would be a metaphor of being a Filipino as well as the camaraderie and companionship of country life. Rice Pounding is one of the rare paintings with this theme. Here, three women take turns doing this chore, two of them dressed in traditional baro’t saya, kerchiefs covering their heads, while a third is in a modern shift that covers only her knees, chronicling the transition from the traditional to the new among Filipino women. They work in the shade of a thatched hut. A recurring figure, a man in a buntal hat caring for a fighting cock, is in one corner of the painting. This was supposedly one of Amorsolo’s man Fridays. It’s a cozy, comforting scene of a simpler life and time. -Lisa Guerrero Nakpil