Bidspirit auction | Serapio Tolentino (Manila h. 1870

Serapio Tolentino (Manila h. 1870 - h. 1920) - Female bust - Plaster sculpture attributed by oral tradition to the Filipino sculptor Serapio Tolentino (Manila, ca. 1870 - h. 1920). This sculptor, whose work is little known, exhibited his work at the General Exhibition of the Philippine Islands held at the Palacio de Cristal del Retiro in Madrid in 1887, organised by the then Spanish Ministry of Overseas Territories. From that exhibition, the Spanish State acquired the sculpture El Sentenciador which, now owned by the Museo Nacional del Prado, is on deposit at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Madrid. The sculpture presented here depicts the head, shoulders and chest of a woman. As she gently leans her head to one side, her eyelids delicately close her eyes. Her hair is tied back and part of a classical costume can be glimpsed. The work is placed on its original base, forming a single piece. The base has three unidentified initials incised on it (see photograph). Measurements: 61 x 32 x 22 cm. Provenance: Private collection.