Something About Juan Luna's "SPOLIARIUM"

Contemplating upon Spoliarium

Definitions

The Latin word "Spoliarium" refers to a holding area in the Roman Colosseum where the corpses of fallen gladiators were brought. If a gladiator met his death in the arena, a ceremony would begin in which a man dressed like Charon would claim the body. The gladiator's weapons, like his "gladius" (meaning sword, hence the term "gladiator"), would be gathered or collected. A group of Roman slaves or workers would then come in to collect the corpse. They would drag the body from the sandy arena using chains and a large hook attached to the carcass. However, if it was a legendary gladiator, they would carry him on a stretcher, entering through a gate appropriately called the "Porta Libintinaria" (or the entrance of Libitina). Libitina is an ancient Roman goddess of funerals and burial. These people who took care of the corpses, or the undertakers, were collectively known as "libitinarii." Today, we might liken them to the "Ahente ng Punerarya."

The gate of Libitina was actually a passage leading to the "Spoliarium." One German history professor called it the "Totenkammer," the chamber of the dead. Once inside the Spoliarium, the body of the dead gladiator would be stripped of whatever armor or protection he still had and prepared for burial. If a legendary gladiator had fallen, people would often gather in the place, hoping to collect or dip into his blood, which they believed held extraordinary power. If it was a gladiator with no name, he truly died a lonely death, for in the Spoliarium, he would be treated worse than the dead animals that perished in the Roman games (wild animals that died in the arena were usually butchered and sold as exotic meat in Roman markets).

Many say that Luna's Spoliarium was an allegory of 19th-century Philippine society. Looking at the painting brings horrors to the eyes of an uncomplicated observer. But it's also a record of history. It shows the brutality and indifference of the human race. Juan Luna's Spoliarium is universal.

19th-century illustration of a scene in gladiatorial games. The "Porta Libitinaria" or "Porta Libitinensis" was a common feature in Roman amphitheaters. In the Roman provinces, amphitheaters were built with this gate, named after the Roman goddess of funerals and burial. These gates were connected to a Spoliarium.

"Libitinarii" were Roman workers and undertakers tasked with retrieving the bodies of dead gladiators and bringing them to the Spoliarium to prepare them for burial.

How Popular Was Spoliarium in Spain in the 1880s?

"Spoliarium gained significant recognition in Spain after being awarded one of the three first prize medals (Medallas de Primera Clase) at the 1884 Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid. Its acclaim was so widespread that a Madrid newspaper used Luna's magnum opus to boost subscriptions, offering a colored print of the artwork as an incentive."

Following its sensational success in Madrid, Spoliarium was also exhibited in Rome and Paris. In 1885, the Provincial Government of Barcelona (Diputación de Barcelona) purchased the artwork for 20,000 pesetas, and it remained displayed in the walls of the said building for decades.

The painting also caught the attention of the renowned Spanish writer Benito Pérez Galdós, who praised its stark realism, further cementing Luna’s reputation as a pioneering artist from the Philippines. Spoliarium was exhibited at Barcelona's oldest gallery, Sala Parés, from January to February 1886. The exhibition drew so many visitors that it was frequently highlighted in the press. The success of the exhibition prompted organizers to offer free admission to the less privileged classes. The famous Catalan magazine La Renaixença remarked: 'To ensure that the working classes and day laborers are not deprived of seeing the celebrated painting Spoliarium, free entry to the Sala Parés will be granted.'"

Juan Luna's success at the 1884 Madrid Exposition was also big news in Manila. Due to the limited press capabilities at the time, the initial descriptions of Spoliarium were conveyed through news reports in words, with visual representations in drawings or prints following later. However, there was a strong demand for more access to the celebrated masterpiece, leading to high public interest in lithographs of the painting. This sparked a competition among prominent Manila printers, such as Imprenta y Litografía de Ramírez y Giraudier and Carmelo and Bauermann, to produce a print copy of Spoliarium.

Juan Luna stirred another buzz, if not a debate, when he presented his work "La Batalla de Lepanto" at the opening of the newly renovated Spanish Senate. This event was attended by none other than Queen Regent Maria Christina, and her sister-in-law Infanta Isabel. Both the Queen Regent and the Infanta personally asked Luna to explain to them the artwork while admiring its magnificence. Remarkably, the Queen Regent herself expressed her awe and praise for the talents hailing from the Philippines.

Spoliarium Behind the Black Curtain - 1896

In a letter from Juan Luna to his friend Jose Rizal, who at that time was exiled in Dapitan, the esteemed painter seemed to reflect on a decade of his life. This is perhaps one of the saddest letters I have ever read.

Luna wrote: "It all seems like a dream, in a flash of life, time passed so quickly!" In this statement, Luna reminisced about a decade of success where his wings soared so high—from Rome and Madrid to his downfall in Paris. In the year of his return to the Philippines, he also brought the bitter memories of Europe.

In 1894, both Juan Luna and Jose Rizal were in the Philippines. One was exiled in Dapitan, while the other seemed to want to completely escape the past. Where are the dazzling lights of Paris, the beautiful furniture in the Salon de Paré, and the clinking sounds of plates and cutlery in the cafés? Now, Binondo was a deafening silence.

When the revolution erupted in 1896, both were engulfed by change. Rizal was labeled the perennial Filipino Filibustero, while Juan Luna was accused of being an accomplice. Juna Luna was imprisoned in Fort Santiago together with his brother Antonio--Perhaps they even heard the shot that took Rizal's life on the morning of December 30.

Juan Luna, on the other hand, was rejected by the Spanish society that had once praised and exalted his works. He was labeled ungrateful and a traitor, accused of playing a significant role in the ongoing revolution in the Philippines in 1896. In November of that year, the provincial government of Barcelona issued an ordinance ordering a black curtain to be draped over the 'Spoliarium,' which was displayed on the wall of the 'Diputación de Barcelona' (contrary to claims that it was merely stored in a warehouse). This act was a form of insult and retaliation against the painter they had once claimed as their own.

Teodoro Kalaw Searching

In August 1933, Teodoro Kalaw, then head of the National Library of the Philippines, traveled to Barcelona to inspect the Spoliarium and possibly negotiate with Spanish authorities for the Philippine government’s acquisition of the masterpiece. However, Kalaw claimed he was unable to find the painting in the Ayuntamiento (city hall) of Barcelona. He caused a stir in the Philippines by sending a wire statement announcing that the Spoliarium had disappeared. Kalaw speculated that the painting might have been relocated following the change of government after the fall of the monarchy, noting that the new regime seemed to favor Spanish artists over others.

Kalaw was mistaken, he was searching at the wrong place. In November 1933, upon hearing of Kalaw's claim that the Spoliarium had disappeared from the Ayuntamiento and might have been moved due to the regime change in Spain, Señor Joaquin Folch i Torres, the Director General of the Museos de los Artes de Barcelona, wrote a letter to a Manila newspaper. In the letter, the museum director clarified that the Spoliarium was never housed in the Ayuntamiento. Instead, it had always been placed in the Diputación de Barcelona, where it remained since its acquisition. He further explained that in 1926, the painting was relocated to the Museo del Arte Contemporáneo de Palacio de Bellas Artes, specifically in the hall where the Banda Municipal of Barcelona performed weekly concerts—ensuring that many people had undoubtedly seen it there.

The Bombing of Barcelona 1938

The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palau de Belles Arts) was one of the buildings constructed for the Universal Exposition held in Barcelona in 1888. During the Spanish Civil War, like many other buildings of high artistic value, it suffered bombings from Franco's allied aviation. The most severe attack occurred in 1938 when the Italian Legionary Aviation conducted some of the most devastating bombings the city had ever experienced. In addition to their usual raids, they specifically targeted buildings of significant artistic value. One bomb struck the Palacio directly, leaving it partially destroyed. Remarkably, Spoliarium was salvaged.

During this tumultuous period in Spain, the Republican government took proactive steps to safeguard the nation’s artistic heritage by coordinating with an international organization comprised of artists and experts. As part of these efforts, valuable artworks from the Prado and other museums were carefully relocated—first to Valencia, then to Catalonia, and eventually across the French border, where they were stored in Geneva, Switzerland for safekeeping. Following the victory of Francoist forces, the League of Nations, headquartered in Geneva, transferred ownership of these artworks back to the Franco government. The artworks were then transported back to Madrid in a secure convoy. In a related event, the Palacio de Bellas Artes was demolished in 1842, with the surviving artworks reportedly stored in a building on the outskirts of Barcelona.

Interestingly, after World War II, the Spoliarium was reported to be safely stored in a warehouse in Madrid.

Spain's Gift to the Filipino People

In the early 1900s, there was already a strong desire in the Philippines to acquire Luna’s artwork, with Spoliarium considered a significant part of the country’s patrimony. Generalissimo Francisco Franco was informed of the Philippine government’s interest in recovering the painting. Finally, in 1956, Franco agreed to the request, asking the Prado Museum to initiate the cleaning and preparation for the eventual transfer of the painting to the Philippine government.

Finally, on January 16, 1958, Spanish Foreign Minister Fernando María Castiella and Minister of Education Jesús Rubio symbolically handed over Spoliarium to Philippine Ambassador to Spain Manuel Nieto Sr. at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Later that year, in July, the Philippine Congress expressed its gratitude to the Spanish people for the donation of Spoliarium to the Philippines.

There are still some interesting sidelight on how Spoliarium made its way to the Philippines but why should I write it now? Ahh maybe in my next blog.

Postscript

An article from the Madrid newspaper "El Correo" dated 12. June 1884 announcing the winners of the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes 1884.  Luna's Spoliarium was awarded one of the three first prize medals. Felix Resureccion Hidalgo won one of the second prize medals with his painting -- "Jovenes christianas expuestas al populacho"

Here is a brief article from a Madrid newspaper dated November 1896, reporting that Juan Luna's Spoliarium, then on display at the Diputación de Barcelona (Provincial Council of Barcelona), was to be draped in black as a form of punishment for Luna’s alleged support of the ongoing insurrection in the Philippines.

During this time, Juan Luna and his brother Antonio were imprisoned in Fort Santiago in Manila, suspected of involvement in the rebellion.

Rumors of Juan Luna’s supposed ties to the Masons of Rome also spread across European newspapers, with reports suggesting that Luna had written to the lodge, admitting he was one of the rebellion’s high-ranking leaders.

From Madrid to Barcelona, Spanish outrage was directed at Luna's works. Many officials expressed a desire to remove any paintings by Luna from their buildings. The Filipino painter faced widespread condemnation from Spaniards, who labeled him "ungrateful"—accusing him of showing no appreciation for Spain. Ingarato, walang utang na loob.

Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palau de les Belles Arts) where the Spoliarium was displayed. beginning 1926. It was bombed in 1938 and was later demolished in 1924.

The August 7,1933 article in La Vanguardia-- Reporting that the "Spoliariun" had disappeared from the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, (Barcelona Cty Hall)

The gates of Libintina in the Colosseum, Rome

The passage leading to the Spoliarium