Guillermo Tolentino (Malolos, Philippines, 1890–1976) Gilded bronze sculpture. Signed and dated 1950. It retains the original plaque that reads: “Maria Clara statuette for outstanding contribution to the Philippine moving picture industry, 1950–1952.” Height with base: 35 cm. Tolentino was a Filipino sculptor, named National Artist of the Philippines in 1973. The Maria Clara Awards were the first official awards in the Philippine film industry, created to recognize talent in the Philippine film industry. They were established in 1950 by a group of writers from the Manila Times Publishing, Co., including national artist Dr. Alejandro Roces, considered the father of the Maria Clara Awards. It was the Philippines' initial response to the Hollywood Academy Awards. As journalist Danny Dolor illustrates in his article in The Philippine Star (https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2019/01/20/1886443/maria-clara-awards-short-lived-glorious): 'The María Clara Awards, created by the Manila Times in 1950, were short-lived. They only lasted two years. But their brief existence was glorious. The jury was composed of distinguished personalities such as Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, Sarah Joaquín, Ramon Tapales, and Joaquín Roces. The bronze statuette was designed by national sculptor Guillermo Tolentino and manufactured in Italy. It symbolized the best in the cinematic arts. The María Clara Awards ended their brief but glorious existence when the FAMAS Awards were created in 1952. These took over the role of recognizing the annual achievements of the film industry. ' As Wikipedia reports: 'To create a statuette that would be awarded to the best of the best, national artist Guillermo Tolentino was asked to sculpt the bronze María Clara award, representing María Clara, one of the characters in the play Noli Me Tangere by Filipino writer José Rizal (Calamba, Philippines, 1861 - Manila, 1896), a novel that played a significant role in the consolidation of Filipino nationalism. The beautiful María Clara is the childhood sweetheart and fiancée of the protagonist, Crisóstomo Ibarra.