In the 10+ millions: Leon Gallery’s Kingly Treasures Auction shatters records.

León Gallery’s recently concluded year-end Kingly Treasures Auction set unprecedented records. Stealing the spotlight in the auction was Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s “Tinikling No. 2,” which claimed the top spot with an astounding sale price of P55,273,600. The top 10 highest-selling works collectively achieved a remarkable milestone, with many of the sales dominated by Amorsolo’s nostalgic scenes and Zóbel’s powerful abstractions.

​José Rizal’s “Josephine Sleeping”

All eyes were on Jose Rizal’s sculpture. Created in his final years, the romantic rendition of his final love, Josephine Bracken, was created during his exile in Dapitan. It was offered to León Gallery by the descendants of Narcisa Rizal, the National Hero’s second eldest sister. The 9.5 in.-long sculpture started bidding at P7 million, before rising to its final P31 million tag. Rizal’s Josephine Sleeping broke the world record for the most expensive work of art by the national hero. It surpassed his bas-relief “The Filipino,” which he also sculpted in Dapitan and was sold by Leon Gallery in June 2018 for P17.5 million.​