La Virgen de la Leche
1625
24.75" x 18.5" Framed: 35.375" x 33.5"
Painting, oil on copper
Region: Bolivia
24.75" x 18.5" Framed: 35.375" x 33.5"
Painting, oil on copper
Region: Bolivia
The subject of the nursing Madonna, known as Madonna lactans, was popular in Europe from the twelfth century but later fell out of favor in European religious art after the mid-sixteenth-century Council of Trent, which discouraged nudity. The image remained popular in South America, however, where its decorous representation continued to be condoned and found favor.
The Virgin's mantle in this piece is based upon Gamarra's Holy Family with St. John the Baptist, ca. 1612 in a private collection, La Paz (see Mesa and Gisbert, Holguin, Pl. 34).
The floral garland encasing the mother and child is of Flemish origin, specifically from Plantin Press engravings after devotional works by Rubens and Jan "Velvet" Brueghel.
The Virgin's mantle in this piece is based upon Gamarra's Holy Family with St. John the Baptist, ca. 1612 in a private collection, La Paz (see Mesa and Gisbert, Holguin, Pl. 34).
The floral garland encasing the mother and child is of Flemish origin, specifically from Plantin Press engravings after devotional works by Rubens and Jan "Velvet" Brueghel.
About the Artist
(ca. 1570 - 1642)
Gregorio Gamarra (c. 1570 – 1642) was a prominent Peruvian Mannerist painter active in the Viceroyalty of Peru, specifically in Cuzco and La Paz. He painted for the Tetiary Franciscan Order in Potosí (1601) and was a key follower of Bernardo Bitti (a Jesuit artist who travelled from Seville to Lima in 1576).Much of his biography is unknown. He arrived in Cuzco from Potosí and in 1607 painted the Apparition of Saint Francis to Pope Nicholas V , which is located in the Church of La Recoleta in Cuzco.
In the city of La Paz, he left several works, including the Virgin of Guadalupe , created in Cusco and signed in 1609; La Porciúncula ; the Vision of the Chariot of Fire ; and an Immaculate Conception with Saint Francis and Saint Diego, all of which are located in the San Francisco Convent in the city. The Adoration of the Magi , based on an engraving by Sadeler, is housed in the National Museum of Art . He also has a Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Joseph in a private collection, a Christ Tied to the Column at the University of La Paz , and a Death of Saint Joseph in the Carmen Convent.
