''La Bulaqueña'', literally "the woman from

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...

" or "the Bulacan woman", also sometimes referred to as ''Una Bulaqueña'' ("a woman from Bulacan"), is the Spanish title of an 1895 painting by

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

painter and revolutionary activist Juan Novicio Luna. Bulacan is a province in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

island and its residents are called Bulaqueños, also spelled as ''Bulakenyos'' (''Bulakenyo'' for men and ''Bulakenya'' for women) in the

Filipino language Filipino (; , ) is an Austronesian language. It is the national language ( / ) of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, spoke ...

. It is a " serene

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

", of a

Filipino woman The role of women in the Philippines ( fil, Kababaihan sa Pilipinas) is explained based on the context of Filipino culture, standards, and mindsets. The Philippines is described to be a nation of strong women, who directly and indirectly run the ...

wearing a María Clara gown, a traditional Filipino dress that is composed of four pieces, namely the camisa, the ''saya'' (long skirt), the ''pañuelo'' (neck cover), and the '' tapis'' (knee-length overskirt). The name of the dress is an

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

to María Clara, the mestiza heroine of Filipino hero

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 considered the national he ...

's novel '' Noli Me Tangere''.Moreno, José "Pitoy"
Costume at the Fin de Siecle - Maria Clara
Philippine Costume, koleksyon.com The woman's clothing in the painting is the reason why the masterpiece is alternately referred to as ''María Clara''. It is one of the few

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

es done by Luna illustrating

Filipino culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by cultural diversity. Although the Ethnic groups in the Philippines, multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipinos, Filipino Filipino natio ...

. The painting is displayed at the National Museum of Fine Arts.

Identity of the woman

art experts, historians, and researchers have four recommendations on the identity of the woman depicted in Luna's ''La Bulaqueña'' despite the absence of photographs. According to E.A. Cruz, a columnist for the Philippine Daily Globe newspaper, the woman in the portrait could be one of the women courted by Luna after losing his wife

Paz Pardo de Tavera Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera y Gorricho (died 3 or 6 October 1892) was a Philippine mestiza and wife of Filipino painter Juan Luna. Though born in the Philippines, she and her family moved to Paris some time after her father Félix's death in ...

. Luna accidentally killed his wife and mother-in-law because of jealousy. The woman could also be a woman courted by Juan Luna's brother, Antonio Luna. Two existing references suggested that it was the daughter of a prominent Filipino family who Luna was not able to

marry Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

or, as mentioned earlier, a woman wooed by Luna's brother, Antonio. The two books suggested that the woman was one of the daughters of Doña Mariquita Sabas who lived in 2 Espeleta Street, Binondo, Manila, a place frequented by Luna himself and his brother Antonio for ''

tertulia A tertulia (, ; pt, tertúlia ; ca, tertúlia ) is a social gathering with literary or artistic overtones, especially in Iberia or in Spanish America. Tertulia also means an informal meeting of people to talk about current affairs, arts, etc. The ...

'' gatherings. Doña Sabas had two daughters, namely Dolores nicknamed Loleng and Francisca monickered Paquita. It was Dolores who is believed most likely to be the woman portrayed in Luna's ''La Bulaqueña''. However, according to Rosalinda Orosa, the owner of Luna's other painting, the ''

Tampuhan Silent treatment is the refusal to communicate verbally and electronically with someone who is trying to communicate and elicit a response. It may range from just sulking to malevolent abusive controlling behaviour. It may be a passive-aggressi ...

'', the woman could be Emiliana Trinidad, the mother of Orosa's niece-in-law and the same woman who was the sitter for Luna's ''Tampuhan'' painting. Orosa's claim prevailed as there are existing photographs of Emiliana Trinidad. According to Dr. Asunción N. Fernando, the woman could be María "Iyang" Rodrigo Fernando, Asunción Fernando's own grandmother who assisted in the cause of the Katipunan. María Rodrigo Fernando was the bringer of food and courier of messages to Katipuneros hiding in the fields outside her hometown. Historian Antonio Valeriano noted that the woman in the portrait has similar facial features of the Rodrigos which include the "bushy eyebrows and sad eyes" such as that of Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo. Belen Ponferrada of the Museum of Malacañang conforms with the findings of the research regarding the woman's possible identity.Ocampo, Ambeth. Juan Luna's 'La Bulaqueña' Finally Identified https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/263694/juan-lunas-la-bulaquena-finally-identified/, Inquirer.net, May 28, 2017

References

External links

''Portrait of a Bulakenya''
by Juan Luna at flickr.com :*Detail o
Juan Luna's ''Bulakenya''
at flickr.com
Other paintings by Luna
at flickr.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulaqueña 1895 paintings Paintings by Juan Luna Collections of the National Museum of the Philippines