Gregorio Gamarra (1570?-1642) was a Bolivian who is first documented as a pinter for the Tertiary Franciscan Order in Potosí (1601). Anknowledge to be the principal follower of Bernardo Bitti (1548-1610), a Jesuit who travelled from Seville to Lima in 1576, he was inspired by 16th century Flemish engravings. His penchant for a spectrum of brillant colors and lavish application of gold ornamentation (brocateado) are distinguishing features of a very distinctive brand of Mannerism. Gamarra's earliest recorded works (1607-1612), were executed for churches in La Paz, Cuzco, Callao. Among his commissions was a cycle of eight paintings, the "Life of the Virgin and the Infancy of Christ". Only five works are extant in the Church of Surite and the Assumption conceivably belonged to the set. The Assumption is based on the 4th-century Apocryphal text of Melito, Bishop of Sardis, which was absorbed into Jacobus de Voragine's 13th-century Goden Legend. According to the earlier account, the Virgin Mary was only sleeping during the three days prior to her resurrection. The Golden Legend relates that angels transported the Apostles on clouds from diverse regions to witness the elevation of Christ's mother to the citadel of heaven.

Dr. Barbara von Barghahn
Washington, D.C., 1992