Home is where the heart is, and what better way is there to make your home truly yours-and-your-legacy than to give it that personal touch?
During these times where there’s little else to go, it is more important than ever to create that special sanctuary that allows you to breathe and express your creative spirit. For Chinoys seeking to delve into a world of heritage and history, Lhuillier-managed auction house Casa de Memoria offers a treasure trove of world-class pieces that depict stories belonging to both our local Filipino shores and the distant European horizon.
To commemorate its fifth anniversary, Casa de Memoria is hosting its second auction for 2021 on May 22, Saturday, at 2 P.M. The event, titled Segundo, which is both the Spanish and Tagalog word for “second,” showcases masterfully crafted antiquities that offer viewers a memorialized glimpse of the past — a snapshot of the time they have transcended.
“Art is an integral part of our lives,” explained Palacio de Memoria general manager Camille Lhuillier-Albani. “[I]t’s an expression of one’s emotions and captures particular moments in time. Incorporating art pieces in our house truly makes it a home. It can lend fun and visual drama to your home while uplifting your mood during these times.”
Alongside its vast collection of exquisite heirlooms and memorabilia, Segundo will shed a spotlight on select items that will surely spark excitement among innovative minds looking to add character to their homes.
Although Casa de Memoria specializes in the acquisition of European artifacts, collectors appreciative of the Orient will find no lack of precious relics to take hold of. One fine example of pieces bearing a craftsmanship that has endured magnificently over the centuries is this ivory model of a Chinese junk ship — ideal for those who wish to celebrate the sailing of time with an elegant cast of history.
Connoisseurs of traditional art may also want to brighten their rooms with the meticulously detailed works of ancient Chinese artisans, including prized pieces of Qianlong porcelain and aged ivory.
Left: Chinese ivory decorative urn. Right: Qianlong porcelain plate
Those who draw meaning from more spiritual and religious themes will find solace in the auction’s wide offering of antiques, which comprise statues or figures from both Buddhism and Chinese mythology. A jade Guanyin statue, for example, may be the perfect fixture to decorate the center of your home — the deity, after all, is a popular feng shui symbol believed to draw in good fortune and blessings for the household.
Other exceptional crafts include a blue hardstone statue of Nuyi, the goddess of flowers, as well as an ivory caricature of the Chinese monk Ho Shang.
Left: Jade Guanyin statue. Middle: Blue hardstone representing Nuyi, goddess of flowers. Right: Chinese ivory depicting Ho Shang.
To be proud of a home is to be proud of what you love. Bring home stories of passion, culture, and heritage, as transcribed into history, with masterpieces from Segundo. Proceeds for the auction will be partly donated to a local charity for those severely impacted by the pandemic.
Casa de Memoria’s Segundo auction preview will be held on April 28 to May 21, 2021. Appointments for in-person viewing may be addressed to hello@casadememoria.com. The pieces are also available online on the auction house website for perusal. For further information on the event, Casa de Memoria is reachable via its website, contact number 8253-3994, and email address hello@casadememoria.com.
