Attributed to Basilio de Santa Cruz Pumacallao

Attributed to BASILIO DE SANTA CRUZ PUMACALLAO (Peru, 1635–1710).
“Saint Susanna”.
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has an 18th-century frame.
Measurements: 63.5 x 76.5 cm; 73.5 x 87 cm (frame).
The saint is depicted in a half-length portrait, identified by the attributes of her martyrdom—the sword and the palms—with a serene expression and rich attire embellished with gilded details that lend sumptuousness and a distinctly decorative character to the composition. The work can be linked to models by Basilo de Santa Cruz preserved in Spanish collections, such as The Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria at the Museum of Fine Arts in Badajoz, or the Saint Barbara at the Museum of the Americas in Madrid, both in terms of the idealization of the female features and the treatment of the fabrics, jewelry, and ornamental effects. These characteristics reflect one of the hallmarks of Cuzco painting, which combined the formulas of European Baroque with a local sensibility particularly inclined toward chromatic and decorative richness.
Basilio de Santa Cruz Pumacallao was a prominent Peruvian painter of the colonial era and one of the leading representatives of the Baroque in the Cuzco school. He lived in Cuzco in the 17th century and enjoyed the support of Bishop Manuel de Mollinedo y Angulo, his principal patron. Considered one of the founders of the Cuzco School and a member of the Inca aristocracy, Basilio de Santa Cruz developed a pictorial language of great brilliance. His painting was characterized by dynamic compositions, great decorative richness, and monumental formats. Unlike Diego Quispe Tito, his style was more influenced by Spanish painters such as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Juan de Valdés Leal.
Among his most important works are the paintings of the Virgin of Bethlehem, the Virgin of Almudena, the series of the Holy Martyrs, and the Apparition of the Virgin to Saint Philip Neri, preserved in the Cusco Cathedral. He also created the series on the life of Saint Francis at the Convent of San Francisco in Cusco and the Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence at the Church of La Merced. Furthermore, together with José López de los Ríos and Leonardo Torres, he helped create the iconography of the archers among the angels and archangels, one of the most original and representative features of the Cuzco school.