The “Ceramics and Cultural Currency: Exchanges of Pottery and Prestige” Exhibit |
The “Ceramics and Cultural
Currency: Exchanges of Pottery and Prestige” Exhibit, a permanent exhibit (reopened last August 3, 2022) curated by Kenneth C.
Esguerra, Marinella Andrea C. Mina, examines the practical, social, economic,
and spiritual values that Filipinos ascribed to these trade wares over a
millennium of exchange.
Blue-and-white dishes recovered from the Calatagan archaelogical site in Batangas |
It features a selection, from a long-term loan to Ayala Museum from the Roberto T. Villanueva Collection of Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramics, of more than 150 ceramic pieces found in the Philippines.
Celadon jars and cups recovered in Butuan, Agusan del Norte
Arguably one of the most
comprehensive collections of ceramics found in the Philippines, these Chinese and Southeast Asian trade ceramics
found in the Philippine archipelago, dating as far back as the 11th
century, indicate the active participation of our forefathers in a wide network
of inland and inter-island trade and cultural exchange in the region as early
as the ninth century.
At both ends of the gallery, I
encountered large maps that situate where these objects came from, how they
reached the archipelago, and where were they found locally.
The left side of the gallery
The left hand displays in the
gallery provide a brief introduction to what ceramics are and the variety of
material found in the Philippines.
Trade jars at the center of the gallery
In the center is a display of
a variety of trade jars as well as a scaled reproductions of a parao (111 x 70
x 67 cms.), used by the Tausug and Badjaos to sail from Mindanao to the
Visayas, to Luzon and within Southeast Asia, and a casco (100 x 39 x 80 cms.),
a type of barge used to carry cargo along lakes and rivers.
The right section of the
gallery examines the central question of the exhibition—why are there so
many trade ceramics in the Philippines?
“Ceramics
and Cultural Currency: Exchanges of Pottery and Prestige” Exhibit: 4/F, Ayala Museum, Makati Ave. cor. De la
Rosa St., Greenbelt Park, Makati City 1224.
Mobile number: (0945) 567-4221.
Open Wednesdays-Sundays; 10AM - 6PM.
Email: hello@ayalamuseum.org. Website: www.ayalamuseum.org.
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