This article features the 17th to early 20th century art from the National Fine Arts Collection of the Philippines.

Oil on canvas painting entitled “Tirad Pass” (1930) by Ramon Peralta (1877-1940)

This painting is part of a series Peralta created imagining the Battle of Tirad Pass on December 2, 1899. During the battle, 60 Filipino soldiers under General Gregorio del Pilar fought against 300 American soldiers at the Tirad Pass, a mountain gap in the Cordillera Mountains in Northern Luzon, to enable President Emilio Aguinaldo to flee and retreat towards the north. Despite being outmanned, Del Pilar and his troop fought exclaiming “This is the most glorious moment in our lives, we are fighting for our motherland.” Unfortunately, the young and brave general perished in the battle.