By Katherine Marajas
A boceto or sketch of Juan Luna's "Spoliarium" fetched P63 million during the Salcedo Auction's "The Well-Appointed Life" at The Peninsula Manila hotel on Saturday.
(photo courtesy of Salcedo Auctions)
The 1884 grandiose masterpiece was sold to a client on the phone.
During the 24-minute bidding, the price of the boceto increased from P25 million to P63 million.
According to a report, Salcedo Auctions stated that the painting is "the greatest Philippine art discovery in recent memory."
In 1884, Spolarium got the first gold medal when the Filipino painter Luna presented it to the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid.