New York Times Hails 'Philippine Gold' as 'Gorgeous and Historically Intriguing'

 
Sash or caste cord. Surigao Treasure, Surigao del Sur province. Ca. 10th–13th century. Gold. L. 59 1/16 in. (150 cm); Cross section H. 1 1/16 x W. 15/16 in. (2.7 x 2.4 cm). Ayala Museum, 81.5186. Photography by Neal Oshima; Image courtesy of Ayala Museum. An object uncovered by Berto Morales in 1981.

Asia Society Museum’s exhibition Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms, which runs from September 11, 2015, to January 3, 2016, in New York, features recently discovered gold artifacts from little known Philippine cultures that flourished between the 10th and 13th centuries. Learn more

Since its opening on September 11, Asia Society Museum’s Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms has dazzled visitors with its display of recently excavated golden objects, including regalia, jewelry, functional and ritualistic objects, ceremonial weapons, and funerary masks. Count New York Times art critic Ken Johnson as one of the impressed. In a review published Thursday, Johnson described Philippine Gold as a “gorgeous and historically intriguing exhibition of about 120 pieces form the 10th through the 13th centuries.” He continued:

More than half a millennium before Ferdinand Magellan reached the archipelago now called the Philippines in 1521, a number of related societies thrived there. Little is known about them. They left no enduring architecture, monuments or literature. One thing is certain, however: They were astoundingly skillful goldsmiths.

In his review, Johnson highlighted several individual pieces from the exhibition, including “a gleaming sash that could be mistaken for a futuristic ammunition belt” he considers “the star of the show,” along with a small sculpture of a mythical creature known as a kinnari, which he describes as “poignant [and] poetic.”

Read the full review here.