Provenance: Bicol

ABOUT THE WORK

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish (and the major monotheistic religions of the West, such as Christianity and Islam), the Philippine archipelago was an enigmatic land whose inhabitants were steeped in the fervent belief of spirits and a pantheon of deities that governed every aspect of daily life. The early Filipinos had a deep respect for nature, the delicate and ephemeral nature of life, and above all their ancestors. Such is reflected, to a great extent, in the practices surrounding death and ensuring comfort for their dead as they progressed into the afterlife. This ancient secondary funerary (or burial) jar lid is one object that relates to this widespread, pan-Asiatic practice of secondary burials. It is but one of a rare number discovered in the province of Bicol in Southern Luzon. Made of compressed volcanic material, such lids were used as covers for large pottery vessels which contained the bones of deceased ancestors. The practice of cleaning, or washing, the bones of the dead after a primary burial (the purpose of which is to let one's flesh decompose) and preparing them for a secondary and final burial (wherein the bones or skeleton would be positioned and stored in a large earthenware jar) was a common custom among the ancient Filipinos, as it was among many other [insular] Southeast Asian cultures. Though such an artifact may elicit macabre thoughts, these lids are considered early works of art, highlighting our ancestors' fervent belief in the afterlife and our intangible link to a world governed by various deities and spirits. The lid features a stylized, mirrored foliage pattern reminiscent of fern leaves which unfurl as they grow — a motif symbolizing fertility and the continuity of life. Even rarer, is the presence of two primitive anthropomorphic heads with their eyes and mouths wide open, like spirits peering out of their once existent parent jar and ready to speak. Although there are extant lids which are plain in execution, the majority which were discovered and excavated normally feature anthropomorphic and zoomorphic designs, as well as geometric motifs rendered in mid-relief, much like this particular lid. All in all, a rare and exemplary artifact which serves as a tangible link to our nation's Pre-Hispanic, animistic past.