The preview of the Kingly Treasures Auction of Leon Gallery starts on the Nov. 24 until 30 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The fabulous artworks, antiques, objets d’art and rare historical documents can be viewed at Leon Gallery at the Ground Floor of Eurovilla 1 on the corner of Legazpi and Rufino Streets in Legazpi Village, Makati City.
There are 167 marvelous lots with excellent provenances that will all be auctioned off on Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. You can access the catalog at www.leon-gallery.com.
Félix Resurrección Hidalgo’s 1909 painting, “Sailing off the Cliffs of Étretat in Normandy” shows sailboats skimming the waters off a little village in Northern France. Amorsolo’s classic 1949 oil-on-canvas “Planting Rice,” shows farmers hard at work with Mt. Mayon as the background. In Oscar Zalameda’s oil-on-canvas “Sailboats,” the numerous adjacent curving planes depict the boats and create a lively sense of spatial relationships.

National Artist Cesar Legaspi conjoins man and beast as one in a visceral weft in his 1978 untitled oil-on-wood painting. Mauro Malang Santos’ 1975 oil-on-canvas “Still Life” shows the artist’s characteristic colorful manner of depicting the details of the flower. Danilo Danela’s 1982 oil-on-canvas “Game Over,” is included and also part of his Jai-Alai series. Florencio Concepcion’s abstract painting done in the early 60s and during his stint in Rome will also be auctioned off. Another highlight is the 1970 “Tikbalang” by Solomon Saprid from the Alejandro Roces Collection.

Among the highlights are exceedingly rare historical documents that have been long thought of as forever lost. The “Acta de Tejeros” and the “Acta de Naik” have not been seen in over 100 years, these documents have been rediscovered in the collection of renowned scholar Epifanio delos Santos. Also Included is a mysterious telegram that summoned Hen. Antonio Luna to that fateful day in Cabanatuan where he was murdered.
León Gallery director Jaime Ponce de León said one of the highlights in the auction is José Joya’s 1957 untitled masterpiece. This work was acquire many years ago from the Luz Gallery by an American couple who kept the painting in the US for many years. “There is a strong influence of Franz Kline and the New York School at its height and during Joya’s first trip to the United States,” explains Ponce de Leon.

Experience for yourself the visual feast of being surrounded by so many beautiful things and the spine-tingling sensation of looking at extraordinary historical documents at Leon Gallery.