CASA DE MEMORIA begins its auction season with 120 unique lots of objets d’art and fine European antiquities. Now on its fourth year, the Lhuillier-managed auction house presents an opportunity for collectors to select from a well-chosen collection for Primero, the first auction of the year. The auction will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 2pm at Palacio de Memoria, 95 Roxas Boulevard, Paranaque City.
The curatorial team has selected several items to highlight for Primero, Auction 19, March 2020 including an early 20th century French impressionist art sculpture by Louis Barthelemy. A favorite in the European auction circuit, his sculptures always present movement. This piece, a female dancer, is made in ivory and bronze and mounted on an onyx base.
An Italian inlaid console table, done in certosina — a Renaissance Italian style of elaborate inlay of bone, ivory, light-colored wood, metal, or other material in stylized designs against a dark background — represents a unique 19th century table.
An art nouveau lamp, etched in floral motifs and amber tones is attributed to í‰mile Gallé, a French artist and designer who worked in glass, and is hailed as one of the major innovators in the French Art Nouveau movement.
Ivory is one of the key collectibles in every Casa de Memoria, each piece is chosen with an ethical provenance. One 19th century French sculpture is a triptych, embellished with colored stones. Closed, it serves as a portable altar of a medieval woman, likely originating from Dieppe, France.
Silver is always sought after at every CDM selection. A Spanish silver item, duly marked as primera ley or Hispanic silver guarantee is a charming hammered server with repousse motifs from the early part of the 20th century.
“Islas Filipinas” by mapmaker Francisco Coello (1822-1898) and Antonio Morata (1806-1870) is one of historical significance. Printed and hand colored in Madrid in 1852, this map is part of a compendium of cartography “Posesiones de Oceania” of the Diccionario Geografico-Estadistico-Historico that established the Spanish in Oceania. This map is part of an edition of one of the 34 maps of Asia and the Philippines used to support the sovereignty claim against China.
A silver salt cellar, presented in a base of floral elements and clawed feet, shows the importance of salt as a condiment and part of what was traded in the Age of Exploration. A Blackamoor, as Africans were referred, completes this piece.
Casa de Memoria prides itself in its collection of ecclesiastical art on offer. An oil, done in the Flemish style, is a rare miniature of Saint Joseph with the infant Jesus on tortuga shell. A must have piece for connoisseurs and collectors of the Flemish school.
