The Blood Compact
Encyclopedia
The Blood Compact is an award-winning 1886 “historic and historical” painting by Filipino
painter and hero
Juan Luna
.
ritual between Rajah Sikatuna (also known as Datu Sikatuna
) and Miguel López de Legazpi
who is accompanied by other conquistador
s. Rajah Sikatuna was described to be “being crowded out of the picture by Miguel López de Legazpi and his fellow conquistadores”.
, another known Filipino painter. In 1904, the painting won the first prize in Paris, France
and at the St. Louis Exposition
in the United States
. The masterpiece was painted by Luna during his four-year pensionadoship from the Ayuntamiento de Manila, enabling him to continue studying painting in Rome
. It is one of the three paintings Luna gave the Government of Spain, even though he was only obligated to paint just one canvas during the pensionadoship. The other paintings are Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a painting that was burned during the Philippine-Spanish war, and Governor Ramon Blanco, a work that became a part of the Lopez Museum collection. This is one of the last paintings created by Luna. The Blood Compact painting is currently displayed at the top of the grand staircase leading towards the Ceremonial Hall of the Malacañang Palace
, the seat of government of the Philippines
.
(BPI). The public exhibition celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the Bank of the Philippines Islands. The event was the first time that the so-called "BPI collection" was shared with the public. The Blood Compact and the other paintings in the exhibition are considered as the “expression of the coming of the age of the Filipino and the birth of the Philippines as a nation in the late 19th century.”
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
painter and hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
Juan Luna
Juan Luna
Juan Luna y Novicio was an Ilocano Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century...
.
Description
Juan Luna’s The Blood Compact portrays the blood compactBlood compact
Blood compact was a ritual in the Philippines where tribes would cut their wrist and pour their blood into a cup filled with liquid and drink each other's blood as part of the tribal tradition to seal a friendship, a pact or treaty, or to validate an agreement...
ritual between Rajah Sikatuna (also known as Datu Sikatuna
Datu Sikatuna
Datu Sikatuna was the Datu in the island of Bohol in the Philippines. His real name was "Katuna" but "Si" was added to his name as this is a nominative marker for a Filipino...
) and Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the first European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. He is the first Governor-General in the Philippines...
who is accompanied by other conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s. Rajah Sikatuna was described to be “being crowded out of the picture by Miguel López de Legazpi and his fellow conquistadores”.
Historical background
Juan Luna completed The Blood Compact in 1886, a year after he moved to Paris to open a studio. It was also the year after Luna became a friend of Félix Resurrección HidalgoFelix Resurreccion Hidalgo
Félix Resurrección Hidalgo y Padilla was a Filipino artist. He is acknowledged as one of the great Filipino painters of the late 19th century, and is significant in Philippine history for having been an acquaintance and inspiration for members of the Philippine reform movement which included José...
, another known Filipino painter. In 1904, the painting won the first prize in Paris, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and at the St. Louis Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The masterpiece was painted by Luna during his four-year pensionadoship from the Ayuntamiento de Manila, enabling him to continue studying painting in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. It is one of the three paintings Luna gave the Government of Spain, even though he was only obligated to paint just one canvas during the pensionadoship. The other paintings are Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a painting that was burned during the Philippine-Spanish war, and Governor Ramon Blanco, a work that became a part of the Lopez Museum collection. This is one of the last paintings created by Luna. The Blood Compact painting is currently displayed at the top of the grand staircase leading towards the Ceremonial Hall of the Malacañang Palace
Malacañang Palace
The Malacañan Palace, commonly known simply as Malacañang, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Philippines. Located at 1000 J. P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila, the house was built in 1750 in Spanish Colonial style. It has been the residence of every...
, the seat of government of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Exhibition
In 2008, The Blood Compact together with other paintings made by Luna became a part of a twenty-three painting exhibition from the collection of the Bank of the Philippine IslandsBank of the Philippine Islands
Bank of the Philippine Islands is the oldest bank in the Philippines still in operation and is the country's third largest bank in terms of assets, the country's largest bank in terms of market capitalization, and the country's most profitable bank...
(BPI). The public exhibition celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the Bank of the Philippines Islands. The event was the first time that the so-called "BPI collection" was shared with the public. The Blood Compact and the other paintings in the exhibition are considered as the “expression of the coming of the age of the Filipino and the birth of the Philippines as a nation in the late 19th century.”
See also
- SpoliariumSpoliariumThe Spoliarium is a painting by Filipino artist Juan Luna. The painting was submitted by Luna to the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884, where it garnered a gold medal. In 1886, it was sold to the Diputación Provincial de Barcelona for 20,000 pesetas...
- España y FilipinasEspaña y FilipinasEspaña y Filipinas, meaning “Spain and the Philippines” in translation, is an 1886 oil on wood by Filipino painter, ilustrado, propagandist, and paladin, Juan Luna. It is an allegorical depiction of two women together, one a representation of Spain and the other of the Philippines...
- Las Damas RomanasLas Damas RomanasLas Damas Romanas , also known as The Roman Maidens, The Roman Women, or The Roman Ladies, is an oil on canvas painting by Juan Luna, an award-winning Filipino painter, patriot, hero and one of the Philippines' first "international artists" who had been considered as one of the most important...
- The Death of CleopatraThe Death of CleopatraThe Death of Cleopatra , also known simply as Cleopatra, is an 1881 painting made by the award-winning Filipino painter and hero Juan Luna. The famous painting was a silver medalist or second prize winner during the 1881 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid...