THE “Under the Mango Tree” painting by the Philippines’ first National Artist Fernando Amorsolo is officially off the market!

The 1929 piece, which was part of the collection of industrialist and “Father of Philippine Air-conditioning” Edward J. Nell, set a new world record for León Gallery in Makati City when it was sold for P57,676,800 at “The Magnificent September Auction 2024.”

The painting, which was Amorsolo’s magnum opus, surpassed the previous record of his other work, the 1931 “Mango Gatherers,” which León Gallery sold for P46,720,000 in 2018.

The “Under the Mango Tree” painting was just among Amorsolo’s pieces featured in “The Magnificent September Auction 2024.” 

It also showcased the “Ruins of War,” “Igorots Overlooking the Cordilleras,” “Lady with Basket,” “Fire Tree,” “Silenced Japanese Cannon, Intramuros,” and “Ifugaos in Mines View Park,” among others.

The “Ifugaos in Mines View Park” painting, which highlighted Cordillera landscape and Ifugaos’ culture, was sold for P18,024,000, according to León Gallery’s website.

Meanwhile, the “Fire Tree” piece, which featured the UNESCO World Heritage Site Santa Maria Church in Ilocos Sur, was bought for P16,822,400.

The auction also included the manuscript copy of the 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence. It is a handwritten copy of the original document, also called the “Birth Certificate of the Filipino Nation,” which is housed at the National Library of the Philippines.

About ‘Under the Mango Tree’

Amorsolo’s “Under the Mango Tree” is a 97×97 cm oil painting on canvas, featuring four individuals under a tree with a woman holding a basket of mangoes.

The Filipino painter was not called the “Master of Light” for no reason. One notable feature of the painting was how he brilliantly depicted the ray of sunlight that illuminated the woman with the basket of mangoes. 

The “Under the Mango Tree” painting was created during Amorsolo’s “Golden Period” or the peak of his artistic career.

It was shipped from the United States to the Philippines by León Gallery director Jaime Ponce de Leon after Nell held it for almost 100 years.