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A historical documentary about two ancient gold treasures in the Philippines, currently on display at the prestigious Louvre Abu Dhabi until June 2023, reveals the long-forgotten history and rich golden heritage.
This chronicle traces the origin and discovery of two fascinating gold artifacts – a burial mask from Butuan and a gold cup from Nabua, Nangan Marina – dating to between AD 900 and 1200 between. They are on loan from the Ayala Museum for the fifth anniversary of the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s exhibition as the first archaeological objects from a Southeast Asian museum.
Produced by New Perspective Media Group in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in the UAE, it highlights the Ayala Museum’s permanent exhibition “Ancestral Gold: Pre-Colonial Gold from the Philippines.”
Home to more than 1,000 gold objects, including two on loan, the gallery is billed as one of the largest collections of archaeological artefacts in all of Southeast Asia.
In addition to the jaw-dropping scale and gleaming treasures of gold, Dr. Karen Remo, CEO and founder of New Perspective Media Group and host of the documentary, recounts the ingenuity of pre-colonial Filipinos in goldsmithing Sex – their refined way of life before Spanish colonization in the 16th century.
gold as big as an egg
This documentary delves into some historical accounts by Italian chronicler Antonio Pigafetta of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who led an expedition that proved the Earth was round.
“Nuggets the size of walnuts and eggs were discovered by sifting the soil on that king’s island,” Pigafetta wrote in his diary of his circumnavigation of the world, published in the 16th-century historical manuscript Boxer Codex middle. [Rajah Siagu of Butuan] who came aboard our ship. “
Kenneth Esguerra, senior curator and head of conservation at the Ayala Museum, elaborated that this is evidence not only of the pre-colonial abundance of precious metals throughout the archipelago, but also of the existence of a gold-rich civilization.
“When Antonio Pigafetta was invited to dinner and walked into the home of a chief, he noticed that everything was made of gold. Meaning, it was part of Filipino everyday life, From body ornaments and jewelry to kitchen utensils. Filipinos are very familiar with using gold because it is everywhere on the island,” Esguerra recounts.
lack of connection to the past
Dr. Florina H. Capistrano-Baker, curator of the “Gold of Ancestors” exhibit at the Ayala Museum, emphasized that each work in the collection is tangible evidence of a mature society, and of early Filipinos and neighboring Asian countries such as China, India and Indonesia.
“The collection shows how our early culture was progressive. We had an organized, stratified society with craft specialization among artisans. Unfortunately, due to nearly 400 years of Spanish colonization and Western all of that is lost, or lost memory. So because of this partial national amnesia, sometimes Filipinos are not as proud of our heritage as we should be, because somehow this missing link has been counted Centuries of foreign rule are blurred and all but erased,” Capistrano-Baker explained.
peek into a heart of gold
Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, emphasized that Louvre Abu Dhabi’s two Filipino gold treasures reconnect OFWs with their noble roots and give Louvre Abu Dhabi’s international visitors a glimpse into Filipino roots History.
“Filipinos are known in the UAE and around the world to be friendly, trustworthy, generous, and have a heart of gold. Gold handicrafts from the Philippines add another dimension to this description – take a peek into this country with a heart of gold. culture of the nation,” Quintana stressed.
About 1 million Filipinos live and work in the UAE, making them the third largest expat community in the country’s thriving cosmopolitan metropolis of 200 nationalities.
Celebrate Universal Connection
Philippine gold artifacts from the Louvre Abu Dhabi are currently on display alongside other burial artifacts from the Levant and South America. These ancient works all depict the concept of the afterlife, which is commonplace in human civilization.
Mariles Gustilo, senior director of art and culture at the Ayala Museum, emphasized that the entire Louvre exhibition embodies common aspects of human creativity and tradition.
“The artifacts were selected by the Louvre Abu Dhabi. I think it has something to do with their own narrative, which is the universality of creativity and culture. When I saw it (ancient burial masks in the Philippines) in the video, It’s next to a Peruvian mask and a Lebanese mask. Yet, they all have a point in common. It creeps me out because in a world with many centuries, we actually have more in common than we don’t, and it’s So powerful,” emphasizes Gustilo.
#AyalaForTheGreaterGood
The Ayala Museum was founded in 1967 by Fernando Zobel, a luminary in the Philippine modern art scene. Southeast Asia’s first bank and the country’s first banknotes and first public transport.
Jaime Zobel Urquijo, ACEN Corp. Vice President, International Business Development, emphasized, “The family business dates back more than 180 years, but similar to the business side, our family has a very strong artistic and cultural love.” He added, ” When most people think of Philippine history, they probably think of the colonial era. These artifacts reveal an extremely rich pre-colonial history of the Philippines. It is rich and varied, but sometimes it does not get the attention it deserves.”
The documentary seeks to reinforce the OFW’s identity as a people with a noble history that has survived the trials of time. It inspires the Filipino diaspora to continue to occupy remarkable spaces around the world.
For more on #AyalaForTheGreaterGood, visit the @AyalaCorporation Facebook page and @ayala_corporation Instagram account.
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