An
exhibition of 1,059 gold objects dating from the 10th
to 13th
century celebrates the sophisticated cultures that flourished in
the islands that came to be known as the Philippines after
western colonization in the 16th
to the 20th
century. It is ongoing at the fourth floor galleries of the
Ayala Museum.
While some of the objects found in this
collection are also represented in other collections, many
objects in this exhibit are unique and have never been seen in
public.
A dramatic succession of high points leads to
the exhibit’s treasure—the golden Sacred Thread. Until now, this
prized object has been known only through a watercolor
illustration in the 16
century manuscript called the Boxer Codex, now in the collection
of the Lilly Library at Indiana University. These lustrous
objects bear witness to a golden age of Philippine culture when
the islands shared political, religious, cultural, and economic
affinities with their Austronesian-speaking neighbors, in
particular the people of the Indonesian archipelago to the
south.
Precolonial affinities with Southeast Asian
cultures are affirmed by related iconography, such as
anthropomorphic images of the pre-Hindu type, and Hindu-Buddhist
icons such as the extraordinary Agusan Image believed to
represent the Tantric Buddhist deity, Prajnaparamita. Previously
unknown ornament types such as the large garuda pendant earrings
point as well to connections between the Philippine Islands and
Indonesia.
A Golden Era: Death and the Afterlife
situates the archaeological material in the context of related
collections in the region, such as those in Java and Vietnam.
Archaeological interpretation of this spectacular collection
spurs major revisions in the understanding of Philippine and
Southeast Asian history.
Re-creations of three archaeological sites (Daet,
Nabua and San Juan Hill) and accessible interventions
illuminating the science of archaeology are incorporated in the
design. The purpose of this section is to explain how
archaeology allows the retrieval and reconstruction of the past,
and how valuable resources transferred to funerary offerings
become major sources of knowledge for the living.
The exhibition Gold of Ancestors is curated by Florina H.
Capistrano-Baker, Ph.D. It is part of the tripartite exhibition
entitled Crossroads of Civilizations now on view at the
fourth floor galleries of Ayala Museum.
