Juan Luna and Hymen, oh Hyménée!

The art world buzzed when León Gallery founder and director Jaime Ponce de Leon unveiled Juan Luna’s “Hymen, oh Hyménée” which was believed to be last seen in Paris during the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition where it was awarded a bronze medal. Unveiled just a day before Independence Day, it was available for public viewing at the Ayala Museum for only June 12th from 12PM to 6PM during the museum’s multimedia exhibition, ‘Splendor: Juan Luna, Painter as Hero’.

Hymen, oh Hyménée

Juan Luna started the painting way back in December 1886 when he married and went on his honeymoon with Paz Pardo de Tavera. As it was made during the most blissful time of his life, the painting exudes bliss, optimism, and hope for a bright future. By 1887, he finished painting and submitted it as part of the Spanish exhibit for the Paris Exhibition Universelle in 1889–a highly successful international exhibition where the Eiffel Tower by Gustave Eiffel served as its central attraction. The bronze medal won by the painting placed Juan Luna as one of the world’s most renowned artists, almost giving him god-like status in the world of art. 

Though the painting depicts a Roman wedding, its title addresses Hymenaeus–the Greek God of marriage who was invoked through a chant and song that was sung while the bride walks in procession to the bridgeroom’s chamber. At the same time, Hymenaeus’ name is also rooted in the proto-Indo-European root ‘syuh-men-’ which means ‘to sew together’. Like in Juan Luna’s other world-famous paintings like the Spolarium which won the gold medal in 1884 at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid and La Muerte de Cleopatra which won the silver medal at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes also in Madrid, Hymen, oh Hyménée depicts Luna’s signature impasto and bravura techniques.

Also titled Boda Romana (Roman Wedding), it was one of Luna’s favorite paintings and was a prized possession not meant for public viewing. After his passing in 1899 due to a heart attack, the painting vanished before a European family acquired it in 1920. By 2014, Leon Gallery’s Jaime Ponce de Leon was invited to a European aristocrat’s home to view the painting. Authenticating and acquiring the painting took three years to complete. The painting had been kept safe in Ponce de Leon’s storage until 2022 when de Leon got into contact with the Ayala Museum to talk about possible fund raisers for certain causes. 

Hymen, oh Hyménée will remain on loan to the Ayala Museum until December 31.