The Exalted: Finest Filipino Sacred Art

The Exalted: Finest Filipino Sacred Art This is a page that only features the finest of Sacred Art produced here or abroad that are presente

As we've said from day one, what we consider as Filipino Sacred Art is not limited by the origin of an image, but rather...
11/04/2022

As we've said from day one, what we consider as Filipino Sacred Art is not limited by the origin of an image, but rather how it is assembled, dressed, and presented by Filipino craftsmen for the Filipino public.

The image arrived in simple vestments provided by the escultor.

It would be very interesting to see how this incredibly moving image by Spanish escultor José Antonio Navarro Arteaga will be dressed by Filipino vestment artists in the coming days.

We'll have to wait and see.

©Photo by Sherwyn Ryan Aban.
Camarero of the image is Raymond Naval of Mandaluyong City

We love to give our absolute best. For some people it's in how much money they shell out, for some it's in the level of ...
10/04/2022

We love to give our absolute best. For some people it's in how much money they shell out, for some it's in the level of handwork, for some it's in the scale of things, but for a select few it's in selecting the best artists that know how to collaborate in order to create a cohesive output.

This image of San Lucas made by Maestro W***y Tadeo Layug and vested by Bordados De Manila for camarero Kenneth Inocencio exemplifies the notion of hiring the best in the industry in order to get this result; an image that looks completely well-thought out, an iconography that gets the identification across, and overall a feast for the eyes without resorting to extremes.

©Photos from Arnold Reyes of Bordados De Manila

La Macarena FilipinaThe country's only officially recognized replica of Seville's Virgen de Esperanza Macarena captures ...
07/04/2022

La Macarena Filipina

The country's only officially recognized replica of Seville's Virgen de Esperanza Macarena captures beautifully how a celebrated spanish image is supposed to be presented; strikingly dramatic in its countenance, and celestially majestic in its setting.

Not every replica of the Macarena is worthy of being hailed as such. A great degree of research, artistry, manpower, resources, and cooperation goes into presenting such an image with the dignity it deserves. This is certainly the case for La Macarena Filipina.

©Hermandad y Cofradia de la Sagrada Pasion y Maria Santísima de la Esperanza, photos by Thom Tolentino, Fr. Kali Pietre Llamado, and the page of the Hermandad

Portraying Divine SufferingIt's always a delicate balance depicting the graphic realism of our Lord's passion with the b...
01/04/2022

Portraying Divine Suffering

It's always a delicate balance depicting the graphic realism of our Lord's passion with the beauty of His divine nature. It takes great artistry and nuance showing both aspects of our Lord, retaining visual emotional impact with gravitas.

©Señor Desmayado of Holy Rosary Parish, Angeles, Pampanga. Photos by Wilfred Naval

Good Old ClassicThis antique ensemble of the Oracíon En El Huerto of the Medina family of Arayat, Pampanga looks poised ...
28/03/2022

Good Old Classic

This antique ensemble of the Oracíon En El Huerto of the Medina family of Arayat, Pampanga looks poised and ready for holy week festivities as the pair recently underwent restoration and maintenance by the capable hands of Atelier Raffy Lopez.

©Photos by Jayson Maceo of Atelier Raffy Lopez

Symbolism in Austerity In reversal to our previous feature, there definitely are cases where portraying santos in visual...
26/03/2022

Symbolism in Austerity

In reversal to our previous feature, there definitely are cases where portraying santos in visually authentic garment styles possibly worn during their time could make for a great narrative service.

Viste De Hebrea or Jewish style vestments is a popular tradition in Spanish images of the dolorosa that use austerity as a means of getting the somber tone and narrative of our Lord's passion across.

We see this perfectly encapsulated by this beautiful image of Santa Maria de Betania in burlap and thick woven fabric. The face and gesture is incredible, the hair is right (we've seen some santas use lace wigs coiffed like pageant queens, this is not the case with this one and it's perfect), and the effect is how much we empathize with the loyal santa as she contemplates our Lord's suffering and death on the cross.

© Image of Santa Maria de Betania by Edwin Tadeo Layug, Camarera Maria Katrina Agustines, Photo by Caesar Gabriel Fernando

Symbolism of FineryAs icons we use vestments and accessories to signify the rank and splendor of heaven's queen, the Vir...
26/03/2022

Symbolism of Finery

As icons we use vestments and accessories to signify the rank and splendor of heaven's queen, the Virgin Mary. We also use these to symbolize the allegiance of the saints to Jesus, the King of Kings.
The finest of materials are reserved for this purpose. And for our feature, this pairing of the dolorosa with her adoptive son, Saint John the Beloved perfectly exemplifies the notion of valuable material as iconographic symbols.

We noticed the vestments are made from genuine Spanish brocade, with gold thread not just embroidered as is usually done on vestments but rather woven in to the fabric itself. Adding another layer of difficulty and depth that is much more apparent in person as the stitching varies in direction and texture making it an incomparable experience from mere upholstery brocade.

On top of it are the use of a fine Spanish mantilla (veil) , Spanish encajes (lace), and puntillas (gold trims). Plus something we noticed is that the San Juan is beautifully draped almost like a detallado carving with gold estofado (gold leaf gilding).

© Images by Maestro W***y Tadeo Layug, Vestments by vestidor Tony Evan, photos from GMA news

"They don't make them like this anymore."Detailing of the hands is usually an afterthought for most escultors nowadays.B...
23/03/2022

"They don't make them like this anymore."

Detailing of the hands is usually an afterthought for most escultors nowadays.
But for the true masters, it's a great showcase of craftsmanship flexing their knowledge of anatomy and composition on the least appreciated parts of a santo.

©Photos of San Juan Evangelista of familia Saguinsin from Hagonoy, Bulacan taken by Leo Cloma

Antique style presentation need not be in a constant state of decay. Gone are the days when carozzas that have seen bett...
18/03/2022

Antique style presentation need not be in a constant state of decay. Gone are the days when carozzas that have seen better days were indicators of affluent heritage.

Heritage that is neglected and left in a state of disrepair actually indicates the opposite of affluence.

If one inherits antique sacred pieces and fails to maintain them, they very well should donate these treasures to institutions where they could be preserved for the appreciation of future craftsmen .

This example of an antique San Jose atop an antique styled carroza by camarero Francis Jason Diaz Perez III of Sta. Maria, Bulacan is a shining example of how glorious antique sacred art could be when properly cared for.

© Photos from Francis Jason Diaz Perez III

Getting the best in the industry of gold embroidery to dress an image from the best in the realm of sacred art is quite ...
15/03/2022

Getting the best in the industry of gold embroidery to dress an image from the best in the realm of sacred art is quite a sight to see.

This sets lofty standards for images worthy of being listed as one of the Finest of Filipino Sacred Art.

Vestments by Bordados De Manila
Image by the only Filipino deserving of the title Maestro, W***y Tadeo Layug
Camarero Kenneth Inocencio

Sometimes we underestimate the impact of supporting characters like Santa Veronica.How this image is presented demonstra...
15/03/2022

Sometimes we underestimate the impact of supporting characters like Santa Veronica.

How this image is presented demonstrates perfectly how secondary characters should add to the Passion narrative rather than distract from it with inappropriate scale and elaborate gimmicks. They should never compete with the Virgin iconography-wise, rather only compliment and act as mirrors of her sorrow.

©Santa Veronica of Capas, Tarlac by camarero Edwin Ocampo

For decades, many have attempted adapting the "Sevillana" way of dressing images of the Virgin Mary. From the silhouette...
08/03/2022

For decades, many have attempted adapting the "Sevillana" way of dressing images of the Virgin Mary. From the silhouette supported by metal pollero structures, to the intricate tocado arrangement with fine lace, it's a difficult feat to accomplish successfully considering all these elements need to harmonize with each other to achieve a balanced proportion.
This image of La Virgen Gloriosa by camarero John Felix Santos exemplifies the technical aspects as well as the nuance required to achieve the challenge of recreating a style of dress outside of our cultural consciousness and presenting it here in our country with dignity and sobriety.

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