Spanish
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...
: ''El Pacto de Sangre'') is an 1886
historical painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bi ...
"The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna from Juan Luna Selected Paintings from the Bank of the Philippine Islands Collection, ayalamuseum.orgOcampo, Ambeth "The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna from Juan Luna's Works, Looking Back, Inquirer Opinion/Columns, Inquirer, opinion.inquirer.net, October 24, 2007 by the Filipino painter
Juan Luna
Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio (, ; October 25, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activism, activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recog ...
."The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna from The Home of Great Filipino Painter Juan Luna, Treasures of Ilocandia and the World, ilocandiatreasures.com, January 3, 2010 It was a gift to the Manila city council (''Ayuntamiento de Manila'').
Description
''The Blood Compact'' portrays the 1565 ''
Sandugo
The Legazpi-Sikatuna Blood Compact, or ''Sandugo'' ( Spanish: ''Pacto de Sangre''), was a blood compact, performed on the island of Bohol in the Philippines, between the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, chieftain of ...
'' (
blood compact
Blood compact ( Spanish: ''Pacto de sangre''; Tagalog: ''Sanduguan'') was an ancient ritual in the Philippines intended to seal a friendship or treaty, or to validate an agreement. The contracting parties would cut their hands and pour their blo ...
ritual) between
Datu Sikatuna
Datu Sikatuna (or ''Catunao'') was a Datu or chieftain of Bo-ol in the island of Bohol in the Philippines. He made a blood compact ('' sanduguan'') and alliance with the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi on March 25, 1565 at Hinawanan Ba ...
of
Bohol
Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...
and
Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as ''Adelantado, El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippines, Philippine islan ...
, surrounded by other
conquistador
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
s. The ritual was performed in the island of
Bohol
Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...
to seal their friendship following tribal tradition. Sikatuna was described to be 'being crowded out of the picture by Miguel López de Legazpi and his fellow conquistadores'."The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna , from Juan Luna Collection, lopezmuseum.org.ph
Historical background
Juan Luna completed ''The Blood Compact'' in 1886, a year after he moved to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to open a studio. It was also the year after Luna became a friend of
Félix Resurrección Hidalgo
Félix Resurrección Hidalgo y Padilla (February 21, 1855 – March 13, 1913) was a Filipino artist. He is acknowledged as one of the greatest Filipino painters of the late 19th century, and is significant in Philippine history for having bee ...
, another known Filipino painter."The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna , from Lizares: The Passionate Juan Luna, sunstar.com In 1904, the painting won the first prize in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The masterpiece was painted by Luna"The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna from Juan Luna Hero of the Philippine Revolution, Filipino.biz.ph during his four-year ''pensionadoship'' from the Ayuntamiento de Manila, enabling him to continue studying painting in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
."The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna from the "''Las Damas Romanas'' (Roman Maidens) " article, Juan Luna (The Philippines 1857-1899), Christies.com It is one of the three paintings Luna gave to the
Government of Spain
The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain.
The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the ...
, even though he was only obligated to paint just one canvas during the pensionadoship."The Blood Compact" by Juan Luna , from lopezmuseum.org.ph The other paintings are ''Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi'', a painting that was burned during the Philippine Revolution, and ''Governor Ramon Blanco'', a work that became a part of the Lopez Museum collection. This is one of the last paintings created by Luna., from Juan Luna, National Heroes, globalpinoy.com
José Rizal
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...
and Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera helped Luna in completing the painting by providing historical advice and posing for the painter: Rizal posed as Sikatuna while Pardo de Tavera posed as Legazpi.
''The Blood Compact'' is currently displayed in Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the
President of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...
, located at the top of the Grand Staircase leading towards the Ceremonial Hall.
Exhibition
In 2008, ''The Blood Compact'' and other Luna works became a part of a twenty-three painting exhibition from the collection of the
Bank of the Philippine Islands
The Bank of the Philippine Islands ('';'' '','' commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the oldest bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is the fourth largest bank in terms of assets, the second lar ...
. The public exhibition celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the Bank of the Philippines Islands, and marked the first time that the so-called "BPI collection" was shown to the public. ''The Blood Compact'' and the other paintings are considered as the 'expression of the coming of the age of the Filipino and the birth of the Philippines as a nation in the late 19th century.'
See also
*''
Spoliarium
The ''Spoliarium'' is a painting by Filipino people, Filipino painter Juan Luna. Luna, working on canvas, spent eight months completing the painting which depicts dying gladiators. The painting was submitted by Luna to the ''Exposición Nacion ...