Study identifies hardwood used in Juan Luna's 'Spoliarium'
New details have been revealed on the creation of Juan Luna's iconic painting Spoliarium, 141 years since he first exhibited it in 1884.
In a new finding by the Forest Products Research and Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, the wood species used in the massive frame of Spoliarium was identified to be Shorea astylosa or Yakal, which is a durable hardwood native to the Philippines.
"The identification of Yakal, known for its strength and resistance to decay, adds a new layer of understanding to one of the most iconic and celebrated works in Philippine art," the DOST-FPRDI stated.
Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. noted that "this is the kind of science that goes beyond the laboratory."
"By uncovering the very materials that hold our cultural treasures together, we are able to connect history, art, and technology," he said.
DOST-FPRDI Director Rico Cabangon also expressed his elation at the discovery and assured that masterpieces like Luna’s Spoliarium and other works will be "preserved for generations to come."
Three of Luna's works included in the National Fine Arts Collection—Mi hermano en nuestra celda en la Fuerza de Santiago, Altos hornos de Vizcaya, and Chula Madrileña—were meanwhile found to have been painted on Philippine-native species Intsia bijuga (Ipil) and Litsea species (Batikuling).
"These findings indicate that the artworks were created during Luna’s time in the Philippines," the DOST-FPRDI said.
His other three paintings in the collection were confirmed to have been made in Europe, based on their wood types and characteristics.
Luna painted the Spoliarium for eight months, from July 1883 to March 1884, while he was in Rome as a scholar of the Ayuntamiento de Manila. It depicts “Romans' barbarism and inhumanity,” as per the National Museum of the Philippines.