Carved Wooden Saints

Not only Cebu’s moneyed elite are drawn into trading over antique religious relics. Many foreigners (especially the Italians) have become interested in the Philippines’ religious images. These religious icons not only serve as decorative items but also to complement antique furniture pieces. There are also others who use these antiques as subjects for cultural research, for collection purposes, or simply for profit.

Antique dealing in Cebu started in the late 60’s and 70’s - a time when there was a surge of digging in vacant lots and mountain sites. Buying of antique santos (saints) was almost effortless at that time since there were rural folks (usually 3rd or 4th generation from the original owners) who readily sell their antiques, without knowing the value of the items. Antique canvassers would travel around the province and would visit a house, especially saint devotees, and offer varying sums of money for an interesting antique piece.

The network for antique dealing starts with the canvassers, the ones who travel to look for the antiques. In Cebu, canvassers mostly go to southern towns (since these are noted for having more antiques than the northern part) and other remote barrios in other Visayan provinces. These canvassers sell the pieces at a high mark-up to the antique dealer, the final link in the network. Antique dealers are those who have the capital, the business connections and the expertise, to put up a showroom. In Cebu, the late Rodrigo Velez pioneered the trading of antiques.

Extracted from an article by: Ma. Christina Fernandez