Cover (From left) Ayala Museum senior director Mariles Gustilo, Ayala Foundation chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Eli Remolona Jr, Ayala Foundation president Tony Lambino, and exhibition curator, Dr Florina Capistrano-Baker at the opening reception of the ‘Reuniting the Surigao Treasure’ gold exhibition
(From left) Ayala Museum senior director Mariles Gustilo, Ayala Foundation chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Eli Remolona Jr, Ayala Foundation president Tony Lambino, and exhibition curator, Dr Florina Capistrano-Baker at the opening reception of the ‘Reuniting the Surigao Treasure’ gold exhibition
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History was made! Finally, the Surigao gold treasures unearthed in 1981 were reunited at the Ayala Museum to be appreciated by Filipino museum-goers
The Ayala Museum and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently reunited two of the country’s preeminent pre-colonial gold collections considered priceless and historically important artefacts. Curated by Dr Florina Capistrano-Baker, the exhibition Reuniting the Surigao Treasure adds 38 goldworks from the BSP collection to around 1,000 gold items on permanent display at the Ayala Museum. The joint exhibition will be available for viewing until 2027, thus inviting historians, academics, art and culture workers, and avid museum-goers to come and appreciate the rich artistic traditions of the Philippines, complex social hierarchies of the period manifested in the unearthed and catalogued treasures from the 1980s, and understand the sophisticated economic practices of pre-colonial Philippines.
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Above Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas gold collection was laid on blue velvet juxtaposing the Ayala Museum gold collection laid in white and red velvets
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas gold collection was laid on blue velvet juxtaposing the Ayala Museum gold collection laid in white and red velvets
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This exhibition was a fruition of the longstanding dream of Mariles Gustilo, senior director of Ayala Museum, which she shared in her opening remarks during the exhibition’s launch. She recalled that the last time they were put together was at the Asia Society Museum exhibition in New York in 2015, which Capistrano-Baker co-curated with Dr Adriana Proser.
“For the first time ever in the Philippines, these once-dispersed gold objects have finally come together in the exhibition Reuniting the Surigao Treasure here at Ayala Museum,” Gustilo said. “Because of the collective effort between us and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Filipinos young and old alike can visit, revisit, and marvel at these breathtaking objects, inspiring and reminding us of our country’s glorious pre-colonial past and what it says about us as a people,” she continued.
Read more: Asia Society Museum New York Showcases Philippine Gold Treasures
Above Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Berna Romulo-Puyat, Andy Locsin, Jaime C Laya, and Eli Remolona Jr pose before the BSP’s gold collection loaned to the Ayala Museum for this special exhibition
Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Berna Romulo-Puyat, Andy Locsin, Jaime C Laya, and Eli Remolona Jr pose before the BSP’s gold collection loaned to the Ayala Museum for this special exhibition
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Popularly called the Surigao Treasure, the items from both the Ayala Museum’s and BSP’s collections were discovered by Edilberto “Berto” Morales on April 17, 1981. Morales was a heavy machine operator working on an irrigation project in Sitio Magroyong, Barrio San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, when he unexpectedly unearthed golden objects scattered along a 100-metre stretch of landfill quarried from a nearby mountaintop. Apparently, the location was filled with objects that trace back to the Kingdom of Butuan, a barely studied civilisation centred on the island of Mindanao that rose to prominence in the 10th century and then mysteriously declined in the 13th.
Morales literally struck gold, particularly golden bowls, and accessories such as bangles, necklaces, and waistbands, to name a few. That same year, expeditions were launched from May to July, with treasure hunters, dealers, and collectors pouring into Magroyong in search of more gold.
Read more: Pre-colonial gold in the Philippines: What we know of its origins, cultural value, and more
Above A gold weighing scale pan from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas collection
A gold weighing scale pan from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas collection
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Above Sash with complex loop-in-loop weave with two rows of turned “warp” wrapper beads from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas collection
Above Sash with plain complex loop-in-loop weave from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas collection
Sash with complex loop-in-loop weave with two rows of turned “warp” wrapper beads from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas collection
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Through the initiative of Dr Jaime C Laya, then governor of BSP and action officer of the Intramuros Administration, the gold collection was retrieved for the Philippine government and, like twins separated at birth, split into the BSP gold collection and the collection of Leandro and Cecilia Locsin which the Ayala Museum permanently displays.
This much-anticipated reunion includes the coming together of a massive, four-kilogram gold chain, believed to be a Hindu upavita, or sacred thread that the Ayala Museum has been taking care of, and a pronged finial that the BSP possesses.
Also reunited are intricately woven gold waistbands with seven complete belts from the BSP collection and several partial and complete sashes and buckles from the Ayala Museum’s collection.
Read more: The Zobel de Ayala family receives the prestigious Sorolla Medal of Honor
Above The gold balance scale (with the Ayala Museum) that likely belonged to a rich merchant and a gold weighing scale pan (with the BSP)
Above A massive, four-kilogram gold chain, believed to be a Hindu upavita, or sacred thread that the Ayala Museum has been taking care of, and a pronged finial that the BSP possesses
The gold balance scale (with the Ayala Museum) that likely belonged to a rich merchant and a gold weighing scale pan (with the BSP)
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Together, they tell the story of power and opulence in the ancient polity of Butuan in northeastern Mindanao, where the elite could afford stunning gold accessories.
Another example of reunited items is the gold balance scale (with the Ayala Museum) that likely belonged to a rich merchant and a gold weighing scale pan (with the BSP). Along with other objects from the BSP collection, the gold weighing scale tells the story of an advanced culture that traded with neighbouring polities before European contact.
Other remarkable objects from the BSP collection include a 4.5-metre-long kamagi chain, consisting of 12 necklaces connected end-to-end and weighing almost 1.5 kilograms, gold bangles set with semi-precious stones necklaces consisting of susô beads, and gold finials.
Read more: The influence of Leandro Locsin in shaping the Philippines’ architectural design
National Museum director Jeremy Barnes
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“To see the collections is also to be grateful that institutions like Ayala Museum and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas not only want to protect this legacy but also work together to share them with Filipinos and the world,” said BSP governor Eli M Remolona Jr.
“This coming together of Ayala Museum’s and BSP’s gold collections represents another chapter of the great pre-colonial heritage of the Philippines. The collection of gold artefacts in the Reuniting the Surigao Treasure exhibition is a testament to the ingenuity and artistry of the Filipino [people] that has not been lost and is, in fact, still very evident today in all areas of our society,” said Tony Lambino, president of the Ayala Foundation, which manages the Ayala Museum.
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About
Before assuming the Art and Culture Editor position, Franz has always had a penchant for visual and performing arts. He is passionate about exploring and writing about the local cultural scene and rediscovering the country’s storied past and rich heritage. Besides working on this luxury lifestyle magazine, Franz is an avid book reader, local traveller, museum-goer, chorister, and community theatre playwright.
Work
Franz earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Santo Tomas. He writes about local visual and performing artists and their craft; drinks wines, liquors, and spirits and talks about the creativity of their respective winemakers and master blenders; tries to learn more about business and investments; respects the tradition and artistry that go behind the making of watches and jewellery; and appreciates the genius of architecture and creative design.
As head of Tatler Philippines’ pool of writers, he helps them bring impactful and socially relevant stories to light.
For any leads, you may reach him through @franzsorillaiv on Instagram or franz@tatlerphilippines.com via email.
