Campesina India (Native Peasant)
signed and dated 1886 (lower right)
watercolor on paper
13 1/4" x 8 3/4" (34 cm x 22 cm)


PROVENANCEPrivate collection, Spain



Felix Martinez’s Muse of the PastoralA Tipos del País for the Landmark 1887 Philippine ExpositionPerhaps Felix Martinez is best known for his quaint river scenes of old Manila and its environs and nearby towns and as one of the artist-contributors of the illustrated “Gran edicion” (published between 1877 and 1883) of Fray Manuel Blanco’s landmark book on Philippine botany, Flora de Filipinas.Years after working on Flora de Filipinas, Martinez exhibited his works at the 1887 Exposición General de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid. There, he showcased his ‘Tipos del Pais’ watercolors, which eventually found their home in the collection of Madrid’s Museo Nacional de Antropología. The museum now possesses 19 watercolor tipos del país by Martinez. Of those, sixteen were made in 1886 and the other three in 1887, just in time for the Exposición.Campesina Filipina, which depicts a native peasant dressed in the baro’t saya and delicately clutching a bilao in her left hand, was highly credibly one of those works that Martinez submitted and eventually exhibited at the Exposición. The number of tipos del pais watercolors Martinez created for the Exposición is unknown (The catalog for the Exposición only says "Acuarela de tipos del país" in the list of Martinez's entry to the expo). As such, it can be deduced with veritability that Campesina India is a precious relic of the landmark 1887 Exposición.Ten of the tipos del país in the collection of the Museo Antropologia measure 34 cm by 22 cm; of which the same can be said with the work at hand. Regarding the style, the work at hand bears Martinez’s impressionist-like strokes emphasizing an uncontrived snapshot—the individuality— of the native, in addition to showcasing her wardrobe and undertakings. This style is also highlighted in the Museo’s tipos del país paintings. Furthermore, like most of those in the Museo’s collection, Martinez painted Campesina India in 1886. (Adrian Maranan)