After a century, Juan Luna's missing painting finally sees the light of day

Everyone knows the legendary Spoliarium and the artist behind it, Juan Luna. But did you know that Luna has another painting that supposedly rivals it?

Unfortunately, it went missing for over a century!

Just as the Philippines marks its 125th Independence Day, however, it's said that the mysterious painting has been found and returned to the country.

Jessica Soho headed to the Ayala Museum for a glimpse of the painting.

"It's a painting that I thought was destroyed during the war," said historian Ambeth Ocampo. "Kasi maraming paintings ang nasira ng giyera. Tapos biglang makikita mo ito na."

["A lot of paintings were destroyed during the war so we were surprised to see this one in particular."]

Born in 1857 in Ilocos Norte, Juan Luna is known for numerous works such as Spoliarium, which is at the National Museum, The Parisian Life, which was procured by the GSIS, Blood Compact, which is displayed in Malacañang, and The Death of Cleopatra, which is currently owned by the Spanish government.

So what's with the painting that supposedly went missing? According to the report, the only proof that Juan Luna created it is a black and white photo taken in his old art studio in Paris.

The photo depicts a Roman wedding, and the painting it inspired was titled Hymen, Oh Hyménée. It was last seen at the Paris Exposition.

It is said that Juan Luna might have painted it after he married his wife Paz Pardo de Tavera.

To recall, Juan Luna shot Paz and her mother Juliana to death in 1892. It was said to be a crime of passion. The Pardo de Tavera family then allegedly ordered the painting to be burned down.

However, there were art collectors who weren't convinced, as Luna supposedly always had the painting with him on his trips.

One of them was collector and Leon Gallery owner Jaime Ponce de Leon. Fifteen years ago, he had kicked off a search for Juan Luna's missing painting.

"Where was it? Nobody knew," Jaime said. "There were no leads left for me.  No collector nor dealer would ever give a clue. It was a race to find it, but a race that no one would share the map to the grail."

"The dream of finding it who does become a tireless obsession and I would find myself hunting galleries and dealers, famous and some infamous all over Europe, courting old maids and befriending aristocrats, and everybody and anybody in between who had some connection to Juan Luna and to the Philippines," he added.

Jaime traveled all around Europe in his mission to find it, to no avail.

Finally, in 2014, he received a call.

"I was told to be at the doorstep of a certain aristocratic home in a European City by 10 a.m. sharp," Jaime said. "And there it was. I could not believe what was revealed and finally lay before me."

It was none other than the Hymen, Oh Hyménée.

After some negotiations, Jaime was able to bring the painting back home to the Philippines. And now, for the first time, it is set to be displayed at the Ayala Museum.

In an interview with host Jessica Soho, Jaime described the painting as a "monument for love."

"It's a Roman wedding," he said. "Sa pagkakaalam ko, ginawa ni Luna ito, during the time when ikakasal siya kay Paz Pardo de Tavera. So parang ito, commemorate the most important part of his life on getting married. Nagpunta siya sa Madrid, sa lahat ng mga lugar, kasama niya itong painting na ito. So sumunod sa kanya. So love na love niya 'yung painting na ito talaga."

["As far as I know, Luna painted this when he was getting married to Paz Pardo de Tavera. This was to commemorate the most important part of his life. Wherever he went, he had this painting with him. He really loved it."]

Jaime described the search as a mysterious race.

"May mga leads na pina-follow natin, may mga pinto na kinakatok natin para makabigay ng more information," he said.

["We had to follow up with different leads just to get some sort of information."]

Ambeth, meanwhile, stressed the importance of the discovery of the painting, and Luna's place in history.

"Ang importance ni Luna, hindi lang dahil he's the greatest Filipino painter in the 19th century. World-class. Ano ka? Probinsyano, galing sa isang colony na malayo, tapos natalo mo 'yung mga Kastilang pintor," he said.

["Luna isn't just the greatest Filipino painter in the 19th century. He was from the province, from a colony far away, yet he was able to beat a Spanish painter. He proved that his painting skills were world class.]

"In modern terms, what Luna did in the 19th century is what Lea Salonga's doing in Western, on Broadway," he added. "What Manny Pacquiao did in the boxing rings of Las Vegas. What Hidilyn Diaz did by winning an Olympic gold. We see in ourselves our own capacity of genius, of greatness, or anything that is good.  Kung kaya nila, kaya rin natin. Hindi lang naging bayani sila, pinaghirapan nila ito. So parang tayo, pwede rin tayong maging bayani."

["If they can do it, so can we. We could be heroes just like them."]

As celebrated as this discovery is, no one is happier than Luna's kin.

His great-grandchild Constancio said, "It makes me feel proud. One, to be a Filipino and next to be a Luna."

He added that his family has no intention of claiming the painting that took a century to unveil itself to the public's eyes.

"I think it's better left to our museums, to our government," he said. "They're the best guys to take care of these works. These need special care."

The Hymen, oh Hyménée will be on display starting June 12, 2023 at the Ayala Museum, just in time for Independence Day. Admission on this day is free, but pre-registration is required. —JCB, GMA Integrated News