Baclaran icon undergoes conservation efforts
After more than a century, the painted image on wood of Our Mother of Perpetual Help of Baclaran has undergone recent conservation works in time for the annual pilgrimage season.
Enshrined at the famed Redemptorist Church, the image brought to the Philippines in 1906 by the Redemptorist fathers, was cleaned of decades-old dirt by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
The head of its Materials Research Conservation Division, Rommel Aquino, undertook the basic conservation of the image which attracts devotees year-round.
Aquino removed the frass or wood dust as well as particulates “to eliminate decades of accumulated dirt.”
“The activity also served as an opportune time to discuss and facilitate dialogue among decision-makers, stakeholders, and the religious community on how to move forward to ensure the long-term preservation of the beloved icon while maintaining access for continued veneration,” NHCP said in a statement.
The aforementioned division also “took the time to measure and conduct a condition assessment of the Virgin’s circular retablo and to note how the icon’s display and safety can be further improved.”
Last year, personnel from the same government agency conducted a comprehensive condition assessment and material analysis of the image as well as inspected its display environment and reviewed the church’s conservation protocols to ensure the soundness of the revered religious object.
Repatriation
Meanwhile, two human skulls which were possibly taken as a war booty following the Filipino-American War more than a hundred years ago, are going to be repatriated to the Philippines.
This is after an agreement was signed between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) in California on the return of the ancestral remains to the country.
The NCCA was represented by Consul General Neil Ferrer of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco while Strategy Officer Lisa Grove signed on behalf of FAMSF.
The two skulls were donated to the M. H. de Yong Museum, one of two component museums of FAMSF, in 1903 and 1905 and became museum pieces until 2020 when these were deaccessioned from the collection.
In a statement, Ferrer said the repatriation of the remains is all about restoring dignity and healing and hopes this act will inspire others from around the world to do the same.
Ferrer thanked the FAMSF and the De Yong Museum “for your openness, patience, and understanding as we tread the delicate process of returning these remains back to their homeland.”
