INSIDER SPOTLIGHT
The gallery, long known for handling heirloom and historical collections, continues to serve as a key venue for objects tied to the country’s political, business, and cultural history.
A broader view
This year’s auction brings together notable works and personal artifacts from well-established Filipino clans, offering a look into private histories that intersect with national narratives, León Gallery said in a press statement.
The selection reflects the gallery’s ongoing role in presenting estate collections with attention to context and provenance, it added.
Director Jaime Ponce de Leon, in the same statement, described the year-end event as both a culmination of the season and a continuation of the gallery’s aims.
“As we formally close this year filled with great passion for all things Filipino, let me first extend my sincerest gratitude to all of you who, for the past 15 years, have been our constant companions in exalting the genius and triumph of the Filipino artist,” he said.
He added that The Kingly Treasures Auction 2025 affirms the gallery’s “continued commitment to championing the ingenuity of our spirit.”
Estate highlights
A major component of the sale is the collection of the late Don Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr., whose career spanned telecommunications, infrastructure, real estate, and utilities.
Among the pieces from his estate are Fernando Amorsolo’s “The Offering,” a rare depiction of a precolonial scene, as well as santos long kept by the Lopez family, including the “Inmaculada Concepción” and “Theotokos.”
Another piece of interest is Amorsolo’s portrait of Enrique Zóbel de Ayala, rendered in a humorous, cartoon-like manner not commonly associated with the artist.
The image shows Zóbel with an Ayala y Cía attaché case and a portfolio of shares, referencing the support that helped send Amorsolo to study in Spain.
Historical mementos
The auction also includes objects tied to historical figures and events.
Among them is the Eugenia Guidote-Puyat Steinway Grand Piano, a custom Model M believed to have been a gift from Sen. Gil J. Puyat to his wife, Eugenia Genoveva “Gening” Guidote Puyat. The piano, marked with serial or model number 1185M, appears to have been specially ordered from Steinway & Sons in New York.
Also linked to Sen. Puyat is a Patek Philippe watch, given to him on his 60th birthday by then-president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and First Lady Imelda Marcos, with an inscription on the reverse.
Hernando R. Ocampo’s “Kalaanan,” from the collection of former senator Nikki Coseteng, is also part of the lineup. The work reflects Ocampo’s tribute to Caloocan and marked his 1968 return to exhibiting at Luz Gallery.
Fernando Zóbel’s “Tarraco,” included in his final Philippine exhibition before his permanent move to Spain, signals the transition that would lead him toward engagement with Europe’s emerging abstractionists.
The auction likewise features Juan Luna’s “La Infancia de la Naturaleza,” from the collection of former ambassador Pedro Conlu Hernaez. The work is the last remaining piece from Hernaez’s Luna holdings, a group noted for surfacing key Spanish-period works by the artist.
With its range of estate pieces, artworks, and historical objects, the Kingly Treasures Auction offers a detailed look at collections that have shaped, and been shaped by, various chapters of Philippine history. —Ramon C. Nocon | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
