National Museum calls for halt of Juan Luna bronze bust auction, Salcedo Auctions yields

The National Museum of the Philippines has urged Salcedo Auctions not to put under the hammer a bronze bust of Filipino artist Juan Luna, to which the premier auction house complied "out of goodwill."

In a letter dated September 8 to Salcedo Auctions chairman Richie Lerma, National Museum Director General Jeremy Barns pointed out that the sculpture by Mariano Benlliure was most likely similar to the one that was presented as a gift to the government of the Philippine Islands in Manila on October 22, 1922.

Barns said the bust has been part of the art and history collections of the National Library, as documented in the Catalog of Paintings, Sculptures, and Historical Objects that was published in 1938.

"I am sure you agree that it must somehow be recovered by the government through appropriate and hopefully amicable means, and that your support and cooperation in such an endeavor would be vital," he said in the letter.

Barns said the bust has survived the ravages of time "given that it was made of bronze."

The sculpture was believed to be lost during the destruction of the National Library and National Museum collections in February 1945.

"Indeed, given the story of this bust as having been retrieved from the ruins of the legislative building, as stated in your catalog and other sources, it seems that it most fortunately did survive, but was not returned to the government," Barns said.

At a press conference Friday, Salcedo Auctions “announces the withdrawal of Mariano Benlliure’s ‘Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio’ from The Well-Appointed Life sale this Saturday, 16 September.”

“The decision was arrived at by the bust’s current owners as a gesture of goodwill in light of a request made by the National Museum in consideration of the bust’s possible provenance,” Lerma said.

In his letter to Salcedo Auctions, Barns asserted that the National Museum is "the successor-in-interest" to such lost government properties, noting that it should be the custodian of any such rediscovered artifacts.

The National Museum said that in the auction catalogue, the bronze bust was attributed to Benlliure and is accompanied by a story of its retrieval from the ruins of the Legislative Building.

“The decision to withdraw the bust from the auction is done with profound respect and a deep sense of responsibility to preserving and protecting our nation's cultural heritage. More than leaders in the business of art, we see ourselves above all as trusted and ethical purveyors - partners in upholding the public trust - and this outcome is a testament of that,” Lerma said.

“Information presented will be fairly considered before a final decision is made by the current owners. What is definite at this point is the object’s historical significance as well as its authenticity, arrived at through Salcedo Auctions’ rigid investigation and documentation,” Lerma added.

Nevertheless, he said that “Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio” by Benlliure remains on display at Salcedo Auctions until September 16 “to allow the public and those attending the 'The Well-Appointed Life' live and online auction starting at 2 p.m. to come face to face with history.”—AOL, GMA Integrated News