A GRAND old house is longing for you to make your home your own with its treasure.
Palacio de Memoria’s auction house, Case de Memoria, within the restored pre-war mansion of the Villaroman family (and sold to the Lhuilliers) is holding its Tercero online auction on Sept. 26. Over 220 lots are up for sale, with special attention given to objets d’art and antiques.
A few Picasso and Dali lithographs are also up for grabs (with starting bids of P50,000 and P60,000, respectively). Interior decorator Ram Bucoy, a guest at a webinar by Casa de Memoria, pointed out pieces that he liked best. A set of Castilian chairs (Lot 2, with initial bid of P40,000), for example, was one of the pieces he cited, along with a 17th Flemish-Spanish bargueno (a portable desk), with marquetry of ebony and tortuga shell (Lot 16). It is one of the most expensive items for auction, clocking in with an initial bid of P300,000. Only a few of the pieces are in the six-digit mark: there’s an 18th Century painting of a Mater Dolorosa from France (Lot 31, initial bid: P180,000), an Isabelino-style mirror from the 19th century (Lot 30, initial bid: P120,000), and a pair of Art Nouveau candlesticks (P180,000). There are then, a lot of interesting items to choose from, should one be on a budget: bottles with silver stoppers, a silver toothpick holder, and various sculptures.
“The Casa has employed a team of four full-fledged art historians and art majors led by Miguel Rosales who helps us in selecting every auction piece which goes through a significant amount of provenance and research,” said Camille Lhuillier-Albani, Casa de Memoria’s General Manager. in an e-mail to BusinessWorld. “Our goal is to offer provenance pieces of art and history pieces for your safe space. We believe that investing in a curated and comfortable living space builds not just style but also strengthens a sense of adventurism in taste. Focusing on European art of Euro-Filipino provenance in itself is very much out of the normal, and Casa has been making in-roads over the last five years.”
Ms. Lhuillier-Albani finds a role for beautiful objects during a pandemic. “Art has been used to bring joy, inspiration, and strength, and our homes need these now more than ever. We believe that investing in a curated and comfortable living space builds not just beauty but also strength during this time as we hope that lots inspire collectors of our creative humanity during these anxious times.”
The Tercero online auction is happening on Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. Register at casadememoria.com, and view the catalogue at issuu.com/casadememoria/docs/a21tercero. Part of the auction proceeds will be donated to the Santa Ana Hospital in Manila for the construction and maintenance of an enhanced quarantine facility for medical frontliners and COVID-19 patients. — Joseph L. Garcia