Provenance: Bilibid Workshops Dr. Agerico B. M. Sison

ABOUT THE WORK

During the early American Occupation of the Philippines, the Americans sought to make prisoners productive by making them learn a trade, instead of just idling the day away. They set up livelihood projects that not only kept prisoners busy, but made them earn as well. Among their most successful endeavors was the making of furniture to supply the needs of government offices and schools. The furniture was so sturdily made, that business firms clamored to buy them. In fact, some pieces, like the swivel office chair, were copied and used until the 1960s. Their best works, however, were beautifully carved living, dining, and bedroom suites of furniture made with narra or kamagong. The workmanship of Bilibid furniture was superb, so much so that they came to be found in the best homes, especially that of high government officials and were given as gifts for important events like weddings. Bilibid furniture became a status symbol, so much so that, after the war, a furniture maker named Nuguid started imitating them, but not quite achieving the delicacy and fluidity of the pre-War designs and workmanship. This set of dining chairs and table belonged to Dr. Agerico B. M. Sison, a personal friend of Pres. Manuel Quezon and one of the most respected medical doctors in the country. As Dean of the post-war UP College of Medicine he was largely responsible for academic and physical rehabilitation of the College of Medicine and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), where he set up the diabetes and thyroid clinics. These chairs are of the Estilo Luis Quince, a revival of the Louis XV Style that became popular in Europe in the 3rd quarter of the 19th Century. It became the rage in the Philippines after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The style was characterized by curved frames embellished with elaborate carving of floral and fruit motifs with delicate foliage and intricate details. The chair stands on two delicate and graceful cabriole legs in front and a pair of square legs slightly curved at the back. An acanthus leaf whose leaves form a stylized dolphin head spouting a larger acanthus leaf is carved at the knee of the cabriole legs. Moldings carved on the sides of the legs curl downward to form a beautiful acanthus scrolled foot and continue on to the bow-shaped apron which is carved with another leaf forming a stylized dolphin head flanked by leafy scrolls. The seat support is edged with a quarter-round molding, while the seat is caned. The grooved back stile is bowed to follow the circular shape of the back support. A leaf carved on its upper part supports a crest in the shape of a pierced yoke-shaped crest carved with a central acanthus leaf flanked by leafy scrolls. The circular backrest is caned in front and at the back. Contrary to belief, the tops of round tables are not cross-sections of large tree trunks, but are cut from planks. When their diameter is very large, exceeding five or more feet, they are cut from the buttresses that support giant, century-old trees. Large round dining tables with a solid top are hard to come by, especially now that most Philippine forests have been logged over. This dining table with a single narra top is of a diameter that is seldom seen. The top is edged with an S-curved ogee molding and rests on a circular table top support with a narrow half-round molding running around the bottom edge. The table stands on turned pedestal plinths, a large one at the center and four smaller ones equidistantly placed around it, each with a quarter round molding around the bottom. The pedestals stand on a reverse quatrefoil base carved with each chamfer carved with a cymatium molding terminating in a massive lion paw foot. -Martin I. Tinio, Jr.