The Story of the Benlliure Bust of Juan Luna


Photo of Juan Luna in his Paris studio. The Benlliure bust of Luna could be seen on display . Is this the one we have now in the National Museum? Definitely not.

What Luna had in his studio could be the very first bust Benlliure created from the original mold he made for Luna in 1884. Judging from it's color, it could also be a plaster cast. But if you look carefully, you can still see that the "cuello" (neck) is depicted with a suit.


Now, sometime in 1920, a group of Spanish artists who were friends of Juan Luna approached Mariano Benlliure and asked the renowned sculptor to make another copy from the old cast of the Luna bust. It is a common practice among sculptors to keep the original cast of their works. From that prototype, Benlliure then did a retouch and made the "cuello" naked. However, he did not change the old signature or monogram, so it still carries the date 1884. This retouched bust was actually part of the so-called gifts from this group of Spanish artists, friends of Luna, to the Filipino people. Another gift was a copy of the Spoliarium. The Philippine government received these gifts in 1922.

What is on display right now in the National Museum most likely is the bust cast by Benlliure in 1920. But there is one indicator to prove it was the one created and retouched by the artist himself in that year. A mark was left by the foundry that cast it. Underneath the "cuello," there is a written inscription that reads "Mir y Ferrero. Fundidores. Madrid."

Benlliure and Luna are what we can describe as "soul brothers." It was actually Benlliure who arranged the submission of the boceto (sketch) of Luna's "La Batalla de Lepanto" (dated 1887) to the committee and office created by the Spanish Senate for the renovation and beautification of the Senate. Luna, at that time, was in Paris, and time constraints prevented him from personally bringing the boceto to the committee. As we all know the commissioned work was approved. The "Batalla de Lepanto" is said to be still there, hanging on the wall of the Spanish Senate.

Finally, when looking at the list of artist friends of Luna who confessed to being admirers and true friends of the Filipino artist, I am awed just by reading their names. Some of these artists even went as far as testifying for Luna in his double murder case, and some were even in the gallery during the trial.

The young Juan Luna, (on crouch position), with bosom friends, Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure (seating) and Felix Ressureccion Hildago, standing at the back. The photo was taken in Rome 1882 with a group of Spanish artists.




UST Museum has this Benlliure with a "cuello" in their collection --Photo by At Maculangan)

The one now on display in the National Museun


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