Of course, those in the know — members of that rarified circle of collectors and dealers — were already well aware of the burgeoning collection assembled by Edwin and his wife, Aileen.
Judicious and deliberate
Assembled with the same judiciousness one would expect from a seasoned banking professional, his choice of Salcedo, we can surmise, was just as deliberate and informed. Equally deliberate was the participation of the late Floy Quintos as curator, whose keen eye brought order and an artistic touch to the collection on display.
Thus, when the Oriental Ceramic Society of the Philippines (OCSP), together with Asia Society, decided to partner with Salcedo Auctions for the ongoing exhibit “Heaven, Earth & Fire: Antique Oriental Jars Found in the Philippines,” which runs until July 8, 2026, ERB — as Bautista is fondly called — readily agreed to participate.
After all, the OCSP, with its aim of “bringing together persons with a common interest in oriental ceramics found in the Philippines,” was instrumental in instilling in him the discipline that has guided his collecting for more than four decades. This even led him to once serve as the organization’s president.
A keen student
“Study, study, study,” senior members repeatedly told him when he joined as a young brand management executive in 1984 — wise counsel he follows to this day.
A glimpse into Bautista’s early foray into ceramic collecting can be seen in the 1989 exhibition catalog “Guangdong Ceramics from Butuan and Other Philippine Sites.” As then chair of OCSP’s catalogue publication committee, he spearheaded the catalog’s publication, incidentally the organization’s first.
He also wrote the 1991 essay “Dating Longquan Celadon Found in the Philippines.” Part of “Chinese and Southeast Asian Greenware Found in the Philippines,” the essay showed just how much Bautista had studied and learned about the subject at hand — transitioning from a fledgling hobbyist collector into someone more knowledgeable and well-versed in matters pertaining to oriental ceramics.
Strike up a conversation with the amiable ERB, and he can recount past exchanges with archaeologists. Explaining the evolution of dragon motifs across centuries of Chinese ceramics, fine examples of which are on display, these eventually became treasured heirlooms among early Filipino communities.
Meaning and purpose
For Erlinda E. Panlilio, acclaimed writer and longtime OCSP member, the antique Philippine jars that are part of the exhibit are not to be missed.
“Fashioned in kilns with fire, antique jars were used by our ancestors to store water or other provisions,” Panlilio shares. “And also as vessels that were associated with their dead, probably hoping their beloved would go to heaven after a worthy life on earth.”
Indeed, while ancient jars may once have travelled across oceans carrying oil, food, or precious goods, today they serve a different but no less meaningful purpose.
In the hands of collectors such as Bautista, Panlilio, and other OCSP members, these jars are preserved. In the care of scholars, they become subjects of invaluable research.
And, as in the case of the Salcedo Auctions exhibit, they are loaned to institutions where they can be viewed, appreciated, and understood anew—each carrying a history cast in stoneware. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
Heaven, Earth & Fire runs from June 24 to July 8, 2026, at Salcedo Auctions, NEX Tower, 9586 Ayala Ave., Makati City. For inquiries, email info@salcedoauctions.com or call +63 917 894 6550.
Features Reporter
