MASTER COLLABORATORS

What Filipinos should know when travelling to Europe and Mexico is that their churches and museums are full of carved ivory artefacts called “Hispano- Filipino.” These treasures were crafted by a prolific Filipino peasant class from the 16th to the 19th centuries, which enabled the country to dominate the ivory trade of the period. Sadly, as there were no regulators then tracking the flow of goods in and out of the country, it also meant that everything went to export.

These days, only a few of these pieces exist in the Philippines; and even then, they are predominantly found in private collections. Here in Manila, Hispano- Filipino is a speciality of the Leon Gallery and its founder and director, Jaime Ponce de Leon. In August, the gallery made history when it received one of the highest bids ever made for a 17th century ivory piece. “When I travel I’m