pre-colonial metal art in the Philippines

1. T4 Metalwork

2. Golden Tara of Agusan
Acquired by the Filed Museum of Chicago in 1922
18k gold alloy (some copper and silver in it)
Buddhist

3. Oton Death Mask
Composed of an eye piece and a nose shield
Made of hammered and embossed god sheets, incised with geometric and curvilinear forms to highlight anatomical
features
Discovered in 1960, Oton Iloilo
NCT (National Cultural Treasure)

4. Ritual and function
Reasons for using gold death masks vary: to
prevent evil spirits who are afraid of gold’s
brightness from entering the dead body, to guide
the newly departed into the ranks of their
ancestors; or to protect them from “the profane
eyes of the living.”
Gold death masks have been found in other
parts of Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia,
notably in Bali and Java, in Sarawak, Malaysia
and South India

5. Burying the dead with utmost care is one of the main responsibilities of
the living to ensure that the dead is sent satisfied to the next world.
People believed that if they depart rich, they will be well received in the
other world.

6. object-soul
Funerary objects like gold were conceived as
having a soul– thus undergo the same separation
and transition that happens to the deceased.
Life long entanglement

7. Why is gold such a valuable material? Why is it buried with the dead?
object-soul (a concept in archeology) animist explanation
Why certain materials were buried together with the dead.
Funerary objects like gold were conceived as having a soul– thus undergo the same separation and transition that
happens to the deceased.
WHY Gold?
Value
Unique properties (very dense highly resistant to oxidation, does not tarnish, radiance never fades)
Life long entanglement
* Compels the Visayan to include it in human burials.

8. Mindanao – lost wax casting method:
- Wax model
- Encased in a block of sand and soil
- The block is fired to harden the mold while the original
objects melt away
- What is left is a solid mold that has replaced the lost
wax
Metalwork is still alive today in Tugaya, Lanao del Sur
Brass vessels, kris, gings, and other decorative objects
are produced there

9. Ayala Museum Collection of Pre Hispanic Gold Artifacts
Object types include: earrings, pendants, necklaces, belts, and other
forms of personal adornment
Objects used in rituals as well as everyday life
Various origins (surigao, Butuan, Cagayan, Bicol, Panggasinan,
Cordillera) – proves the widespread gold culture
The collection also covers the many techniques that was used to create
these pieces
Gold sash / cord (surigao) – 60” and 4 kg

10. Ling ling-o (signify fertility)

11. The center graphic is a watercolor image from the Boxer Codex, published c. 1590. The rare publication
helped date and ID many pieces that were discovered in Surigao. Pre-colonial body ornaments and jewelry
functioned as charms and amulets to drive away spirits and give supernatural powers to the wearer.
ANTING ANTING or TALISMAN
T’boli wear some of the most splendid body ornaments of brass chains and bells, etc.

12. The “Kinari” is one of the centerpieces of the show. It is based on a mythological figure/ deity
bearing a woman’s head and the body of a bird. This more than any other artifact in the
collection shows Hindu and Javanese influences in the craftsmanship. From the Ayala
collection.