MINIATURES

                                                                            Richard Kissling with his dog Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling, the sculptor who designed the Rizal Monument, was born on April 14, 1848, Wolfwil, in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland. As a young boy, he fashioned figures on dough, telling his parents of his wish of becoming a sculptor. Young Richard started his training in sculpturing as a plasterer in Solothurn. Then moving to stones and granite, his first commissioned works were gravestones. At age 22, he went to Rome to work and train under eminent Swiss sculptor Ferdinand Schloeth. (1818-1891) After 13 years in Rome, he went back to Switzerland, where one of his works, a bust of Alfred Escher, was noticed in the Zürich Exposition of 1883. It won him a commission work...

José P. Rizal Coat of arms of  Schaffhausen Located at the northern tip of Switzerland, bordering Germany, Schaffhausen is one of the charming cities in the alpine nation. It is also the capital of the state or canton with the same name, Schaffhausen. The city is known for its Renaissance-era buildings decorated with exterior frescoes and sculptures. In the old section of the city, one finds the historic fort-- the Munot. In the Middle Ages, Schaffhausen was autonomous from the Hapsburg. In 1505, it joined the Swiss Confederation. José Rizal, together with Maximo Viola, visited Schaffhausen on June 2-3, 1887.  They billeted themselves in Hotel Müller, just across the city's central train station. It was actually their grand tour of Europe before José Rizal's first homecoming to the Philippines. But why did they included Schaffhausen in their itinerary? What was the reason for their stop to the city? Hotel Mueller 1900 Rizal had this...

Harry Stonehill In less than two decades of his stay in the Philippines, Harry Stonehill was able to build a business empire reputedly valued at around 50 million US dollars. The 18 corporations he started in the country were pioneering and high-earning business ventures, some of which still exist today. From tobacco to glass manufacturing, to cement production and publishing, Stonehill was an uncanny businessman, never ceasing in his search for new ventures. Reclaiming parts of Manila Bay and turning it into an opulent district was his original idea. Harry Stonehill was turning the country into his business playground when suddenly his luck turned sour. In 1960, he was subjected to a congressional investigation on alleged tax evasion charges. What happened next in the following years was a series of events falling into place, exposing Stonehill's alleged illegal business activities. Allegations of bribery, influence peddling, and economic sabotage surfaced. Known government offici...

Portrait of Manuel Luna rendered by his brother Juan Manuel — The Violinist Belonging to the illustrious Luna brothers, Manuel Luna was first a mariner before becoming a well-known Filipino violinist of the 19th century. Manuel Andrés Luna y Novicio was born in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, on June 30, 1856. He was the eldest son of Joaquín Luna and Laureana Novicio, in a brood of seven. Manuel studied at the Ateneo Municipal and later enrolled at the prestigious Escuela Náutica , where he and his brother, the painter Juan Luna, completed their seaman’s course. Manuel graduated with honors and earned the certificate "Piloto de Altos Mares"   The Luna brothers worked aboard ships that sailed the South Seas. While Juan pursued his passion for art, Manuel spent his free time playing the violin. Upon returning to Manila, he decided to take the instrument more seriously, studying under the Spanish violin pedagogue Prof. Remigio Calahorra. It was Prof. Calahorra who encouraged Manuel...

                                                                          José Rizal immortalized the Pasig River more than any other Filipino intellectuals in our history. In his novels,  he mentioned the river many times and even wrote about the legends that abound in it. The climax of the Noli Me Tangere, that chase on Ibarra happened in the Pasig River.  In the 19th Century, great highways were nonexistent. Roads were unpaved, primitive, and unsafe. The trip, Laguna to Manila and vice versa was usually done with small steamboat (barco de vapor), casco, and pituya.  Rizal   gave us a vivid glimpse of that travel in the opening chapter of the El Filibusterismo, where the steamship "Tabo" was navigating the Pasig River.  He wrote about the river communities of the town of Pa...