“Philippine Gold, Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms,” curated by Florina H. Capistrano-Baker of Manila’s Ayala Museum and Adriana Proser, the Asia Society’s senior curator for traditional Asian art, is an exhibition of spectacular works of gold primarily discovered over the past 40 years on the Philippine islands of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The regalia, jewelry, ceremonial weapons, and ritualistic and funerary objects attest to the prosperity and achievement of Philippine societies that flourished between the 10th and 13th centuries, long before the Spanish discovered and colonized the region. The majority of these works suggest they were developed locally, but some indicate that Philippine craftsmen had been exposed to objects from beyond their borders through the robust cultural connections and maritime trade during an early Southeast Asian economic boom. Today, the Philippines has the second largest gold deposit in the world. Asia Society, 725 Park Ave. at E 70th St. Through Jan. 3: Tue.-Sun., 11-6 p.m., with Fri. closing at 9 p.m. Admission is $12; $10 for seniors, $7 for students. Free for anyone under 16. More information at asiasociety.org.
