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<\/a><\/p>\nThis exhibition of more than 100 gold objects focuses on the wealth of the golden age of Butuan (pronounced boot\u2019 wan), a polity on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao that rose to commercial prominence in the tenth century and declined in the thirteenth century. Works from ancient polities beyond Butuan, such as those on the islands of the Visayas and Luzon, bear witness to the early use of gold throughout the Philippines. A selection of the most extraordinary objects from a 1981 discovery\u2014now in the collection of the Ayala Museum in Makati City and on view in the United States for the first time\u2014forms the core of \u201cPhilippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms.\u201d The exhibition also includes a few important loans from public and private collections including the Central Bank of the Philippines. Featuring spectacular gold necklaces, chains, waistbands, bangles, ritual bowls, implements, and ceremonial weapons, the exhibition showcases the rich artistry and material wealth of Butuan and related island polities.<\/p>\n