This, as the longest mall in the country hosted the exhibition Ginto: A Golden Heritage from Our Filipino Ancestors.
A project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Ginto showcased exact replicas of ancient ornaments crafted by early Filipinos from 700 to 1,200 years ago. The “real ones” form part of the Pre-Hispanic Gold Collection of the BSP.
An exhibit brochure said some of the gold ornaments come from the 10th and 14th centuries in a time of “political economic and social progress.”
“The country has in fact a well-developed tradition of making jewelry from gold. Most of the gold pieces on display showcase the artistry of early Filipino goldsmiths who fashioned decorative ornaments during that time by hand,” it added.
Continued the brochure: The abundance of gold did not go unnoticed by Spanish explorers who landed in the Philippines during the 16th century as “pieces of gold, the size of walnuts and eggs, are found by sitting on the earth in the island.”
With such abundance, it followed that ancient Filipinos became masters in crafting art pieces that “demonstrated not only their skillful mastery of metallurgy, physics, chemistry, and other sciences, but also of political, cultural, economic, religious and artistic expressions.”
Items at the Ginto exhibit include bracelets with fluted designs and flaming rims from the Cagayan Valley; large conical necklace finials and a pair of long pendant double-swirl earrings from Pangasinan; a terra-cotta figure with inlaid gold from Batangas; and large square quartrefoil earrings and a bracelet set, both from Mindoro.
The BSP Pre-Hispanic Gold Collection from the Visayas included Patan-aw or “Look at Me” earrings from Leyte, Cebu and Bohol; a T-shape dagger handle from Cebu; and caterpillar-shaped ear ornaments from Samar and Leyte.
The Mindanaon pieces meanwhile were both exquisite and exotic, comprised of Kandit sashes; belt buckles or finials; dragonfly necklaces; Kamagi bead necklaces; and a pair of waist cord finials, all from Surigao.
From SM City Pampanga, the Ginto exhibit was taken to SM City Clark.
– Bong Lacson with PR
