Las Damas Romanas
The Roman Maidens | |
---|---|
Spanish: Las Damas Romanas | |
Artist | Juan Luna |
Year | 1882 |
Medium | oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 100 cm × 170 cm (39 in × 67 in) |
Location | Private Collection |
Las Damas Romanas (literally, "The Roman
Luna spent six years in Rome from 1878 to 1884.
Historical overview
Las Damas Romanas is one of the early works of Luna as a painter that resurfaced in the past quarter of a century after being presumed to be either lost or missing.[5][6] Before its reappearance in Paris many years before 2008, it had been documented only as a title and as a listed work of Luna in the 1957 biography of Luna written by Carlos E. Da Silva. The painting had also been documented through a black and white photograph from the files of Alfonso T. Ongpin, a historian and pre-war art dealer. In 1980, the image from Ongpin was reprinted by Santiago Pilar[5] in the book "Juan Luna: The Filipino As Painter".[7]
Description
The concept for the 100 cm x 170 cm size
There are three major elements of Las Damas Romanas, namely the women, the dogs, and the doves. Roman life involved having dogs because they were employed by the ancient Romans for hunting activities, guardians of the home and their property, and as pets. In Luna's painting, the leashed pet dogs were acting as companions of women. Doves, on the other hand, were animals that connote eroticism.[5] In relation to one of the women, there was a suggestion that the woman on the right with dark hair could be Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera. The notion was discarded because Luna was unmarried when he painted Las Damas Romanas.[7]
Luna finished Las Damas Romanas after winning a silver medal for The Death of Cleopatra painting in 1881 and before obtaining a gold medal for the masterpiece Spoliarium in 1884 (both were presented during the Madrid Exposition during the years mentioned).[5] In 1886, Luna was awarded a Diploma of Honor at the Munich Art Exposition[4] (also known as the Munich Salon) for painting Las Damas Romanas.[2][3] The masterpiece was a classic work painted in the highest conventions of the academic style, and it was a representative of the "abundant richness of life, with humankind", represented by women in the painting, being "in harmony with Nature".[4]
Valuation
Long thought lost or missing, the painting emerged in an estate sale outside Paris, France, before 2008. During this art auction, the painting was originally priced between 10,000 and 20,000
The work sold for far less than the estimate, however, achieving $609,193, or HK$4,700,000, including buyer's premium.See also
References
- ^ Las Damas Romanas (The Roman Women), from "Luna Y Novicio, Juan", bookrags.com
- ^ a b Luna's Damas Romanas (Roman Ladies) Archived 2010-06-23 at the Wayback Machine, from "Juan Novicio Luna (1857-1899)", kulay-diwa.com
- ^ a b Luna's Damas Romanas (Roman Ladies) Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, from "Juan Novicio Luna", filipinopaintings.com
- ^ a b c d e f (...) "Leading the selection of Modern works this season is Las Damas Romanas (Roman Maidens) by Juan Luna (...) estimate: HK$8,000,000-10,000,000 / US$1,025,600-1,282,000" (...), Colonial Classics and Modern Masterpieces, Christie's Hong Kong Announces Fall 2008 Sale of Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, artdaily.com
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ocampo, Ambeth R. (Chairman, National Historical Institute of the Philippines) Las Damas Romanas (Roman Maidens) by Juan Luna (The Philippines 1857-1899), Christie's, Department Information, Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, christies.com
- ^ Lost Luna work found, rogueclassicism, atrium-media.com
- ^ a b c d Ocampo, Ambeth (columnist). Lost Luna found in Paris to be sold, Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 23, 2008, inquirer.net
External links
- Larger image of Las Damas Romanas by Juan Luna at artdaily.com
- Philippine Art Powerpoint Presentation at authorstream.com
- Other paintings by Luna at flickr.com