Provenance: Don Luis Araneta Architect Gabriel Formoso, thence by descent

ABOUT THE WORK

If Isabelo Tampinco was to Juan Luna then it was Graciano Nepomuceno to Fabian de la Rosa. During the 1900s and in the realm of genre sculpture, Graciano Nepomuceno was among that rarefied group whose artistry became most sought after. Having honed his craft under such luminaries of the period as painter Miguel Zaragoza and sculptor Eugenio Llerena, he would take on such important commissions as that for the Malacañang Palace, the Metropolitan Theater, and the Quiapo Church. It is said that Nepomuceno’s style is one where he’d draw inspiration from paintings and render them into sculptural form. This pair of reliefs on wood masterfully depict Jesus Christ and Mother Mary — capturing all their raw emotions and grief — pertinent examples of Nepomuceno’s remarkable skill.