Provenance: Binondo, Manila de la Rocha family, Despujol–Sabater family

ABOUT THE WORK

The De La Rocha - Tuason Crucifix by AUGUSTO MARCELINO REYES GONZALEZ III This beautiful and valuable crucifix of ivory, gold, and kamagong wood was a cherished heirloom of the aristocratic Spanish–Filipino de la Rocha family. The ivory corpus is of the “Cristo Expirante” type (“Agonizing and Dying Christ”), as contrasted to the “Cristo Moribundo” type (“Dead Christ”). The three nails are of 18 K gold. The cross itself is of kamagong hardwood (Diospyros discolor/Diospyros blancoi). The INRI insignia (“Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”) above the corpus and the three “cantoneras” or terminals of neoclassical design are of 18 K gold. The base is of golden narra wood (Pterocarpus indicus). The crucifix is ensconced in antique purple velvet. The black lacquer pinewood box of Chinese–Filipino origin is marked “Emilia Tuason de Rocha” (Marquesa de Oliver) the Spanish mestiza heiress who received the crucifix from her de la Rocha great– grandparents. The affluent Spanish mestiza Maria Emilia Josefa Casiana de la Rocha y Tuason of San Miguel de Tanduay, Manila married the Spanish (Catalan) Ramon Despujol y Sabater, Marques de Oliver, in 1895. He was a nephew and aide– de–camp to his uncle, the Governor–General Eulogio Despujol y Dusay (1891–93). He was the son of Ramon Jose Maria Despujol y Dusay, a brother of Governor– General Despujol. For some reason, Maria Emilia de la Rocha had been born at the Palacio de Malacanang. Her ancestors (great–great–grandparents) Don Jose Luis de la Rocha y Camina and Dona Gregoria Tuason de Zaballa were the original owners of the Palacio de Malacanang property in 1750. The de la Rochas were a branch of The De La Rocha - Tuason Crucifix by AUGUSTO MARCELINO REYES GONZALEZ III the aristocratic, extremely landed Antonio Maria Tuason clan, the most affluent in late 1700s Manila, and the only one with a “mayorazgo” noble estate like the Spanish aristocracy. After a few years in Manila, the couple returned to the Despujol ancestral estate in Barcelona, Cataluna, Spain.