Blumentritt family donates Rizal letter, heirlooms to Philippines
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Descendants of Ferdinand Blumentritt, an Austro-Hungarian ethnographer, recently gifted the National Museum of the Philippines with a rare letter penned by Jose Rizal, along with other 19th-century items.
The heirlooms had remained in the Blumentritt family’s possession in Austria for over a century, safeguarded by Elke Pickert, Blumentritt’s great-great-granddaughter. Austrian anthropologist Dr.
Johann Stockinger discovered the items while researching Blumentritt’s history in 2017, recognizing the significance of watercolor portraits by Juan Luna, a Filipino painter, and eventually uncovering Rizal’s unpublished letter.
The letter, dated May 9, 1896, was written by Rizal during his exile in Dapitan and includes greetings to Blumentritt and his daughter, Dolores, whom he affectionately called “Loleng.” It details Rizal’s activities, such as collecting butterflies and providing medical care, and playfully suggests Loleng focus on practical skills rather than advanced mathematics.
Alongside the letter, the family also donated a Japanese parasol embroidered with an early version of the Philippine flag, a wedding gift sent from Kobe, Japan, and portraits of Dolores painted by Luna during a visit to the Blumentritt family in 1899. Philippine and Austrian officials celebrated the handover, recognizing the historical importance of the items and the enduring friendship between the two countries.
National Museum officials plan to showcase the collection in an updated gallery in Manila next year, allowing the public to view these pieces of Philippine and Austrian history. The gifts represent a long-standing connection, as some of the objects predate both the Philippine and Austrian republics.
