XLII. Akyat-Bahay Meets SS-Files: Villa Escudero, Part Two – Pretending to be Trapped Inside the Museum

In reality, there are lots more Holy Week processional image inside the Villa Escudero Museum, except that not all of them are mounted on carrozas. The ones we’ve seen in Part One are the only ones with carrozas (and even then, not all of them are displayed with them year-round). Given the limited space, the other images are presented normally, usually inside urnas (custom-made wood-and-glass cases), as we’ll see now.

The Escudero Family commissioned a processional image of Nuestro Señor de Silencio from the Vecin Workshop some years ago.

Nearby is another processional image of a Christ of the Passion, apparently antique.

A Holy Week processional image of San Juan Evangelista is stationed right behind the altar.

It wasn't there when I first visited three years ago, but earlier this year I saw a beautiful processional image of Santa Marta.

I quite like the subtle iconography of a bunch of grapes, rather than the sometimes over-indulgent and over-filled tray of fruit or basket of bread.

Another new addition to the display is a processional image of Santa Maria Salome (presumably, or whoever is assigned to hold the censer around here).

It would be a bit strange if this santo-collecting family and their friends had nothing but Holy Week processional images, and in fact there are many other religious images in the Museum that are not Holy Week-related at all.

Let’s start small with a classical-style marble sculpture of Christ Healing the Blind.

There’s also a Holy Family tableau, with a somewhat pastoral / country theme for the garments and headgear. I just could not check if the images were of ivory or wood.

Sharp-eyed readers (who also have photographic memories) would have remembered seeing the altar piece (“retablo”) behind the Last Supper tableau in Part One. For the more forgetful among us, here is a different shot of the altar piece.

These structures that make up the Museum’s retablo were actually salvaged from a couple of old churches. In the silver niche on the right side

is a well-made image of Saint Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary

and on the left-side-niche, predictably, is an image of her spouse, Saint Joachim.

Nearby is what appears to be an antique ivory image of the Immaculate Conception.

The side aisles hold even more religious images, including this Marian image.

Here's Saint Augustine holding his tell-tale scale model of a Cathedral.

At first I had assumed that this was Saint Augustine's mother Saint Monica, but the label clearly indicated that this was the Filipina prioress Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo.

In quick succession are a seated Christ the King

an image of, according to the label, Nuestra Señora de la Paloma

Saint Anthony of Padua, with an overgrown Christ-Child

and another Marian image with the Holy Infant.

As one makes his way behind the altar to the aisle on the right side of the ground floor, one sees this large image of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

One walks past the Descent from the Cross back towards the entrance, then ascends the staircase to view the entire scene from the gallery above. This second level has plenty of non-religious displays to keep a generalist (or a genuine nerd) interested. But the “santo adik” will look out for things like this – a stone relief of the Coronation of Mary on the rear wall.

And going back downstairs, a relief of Mary as Queen of the Apostles (or something to that effect).

back-to-back with an antique Crucifix.

As we prepare to leave, we spot a final figure by the main door – a small-scaled beautiful image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

And an exceptionally interesting (to me anyway) oversized aparador, perhaps originally from the sacristy of some old church?

Having spent far too much time inside the Museum already (although it’s never nearly enough for true religious art enthusiasts), we get ready to move over to the Chapel of the Villa Escudero estate, next.

Originally published 6 August 2007.  All text and photos copyright ©2007 by Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

Original comments:

jayroberto wrote on Aug 7, '07 I'm a fan!

rally65 wrote on Aug 7, '07 Electric or anahaw? Ha ha ha.

jvlian wrote on Aug 7, '07 I really love Akyat-Bahay Gangster!!!! (nagamit na yung im a fan eh, hehe)

friendsofsanroque wrote on Aug 8, '07 i love reading this article

jayroberto wrote on Aug 9, '07 Clever.

kuyakim wrote on Jul 10, '08, edited on Jul 10, '08 Sir Leo, how come that Madre Ignacia del Espiritu Santo has already its own image? Is she a saint already? I think she's a Venerable. Thank you

rally65 wrote on Jul 10, '08 I guess some devotees commission images of Venerables and Blesseds, even prior to canonization. Witness the proliferation of images of Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

kuyakim wrote on Jul 10, '08 It is so seldom to see images like that...really..