ABOUT THE WORK

Before the imposition of the international ivory ban in 1990, garing or ivory was a popular medium in sculpture. It is highly esteemed for its natural pale white glow and its dense and fine grain, allowing it to be carved into the finest details. Sculptures made out of ivory are still sought-after by collectors, mainly due to the significance of white in the Philippines. Even before the arrival of the Spaniards, the natives had already had a penchant for white materials such as limestones, bones, and ivory, for white symbolizes purity, righteousness, and spiritual virtue. Moreover, Regalado Jose and Ramon Villegas wrote in Power + Faith + Image: Philippine Art in Ivory from the 16th century to the 19th century that Filipinos (and other Asian peoples) traditionally have had a degree of distinction and reverence for elephants, whose tusks are the sources of ivory. Jose and Villegas explain that these animals are representative of power, wisdom, and longevity. The finest religious carvings are either all ivory or with faces, hands, and feet of ivory. One important characteristic of Filipino ivory images that should be noted is the mixture of oriental and occidental attributes. This resulted from the interpretation by the sangleys and their native apprentices of the Spanish religious lithographs that were given by church leaders for the artisans to execute. Painters usually embellish the images by coloring their facial features and wardrobe. Filipino Catholics, as well as art connoisseurs, exceptionally revere these images that form an indispensable facet of our cultural identity and heritage.