Armida Encounters the Sleeping Rinaldo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo·c. 1742–45
Historical Context
Armida Encounters the Sleeping Rinaldo (c. 1742-45) is one of four paintings by Tiepolo illustrating episodes from Torquato Tasso's epic poem "Gerusalemme Liberata" (1581). The story of the sorceress Armida and the crusader knight Rinaldo was the most popular literary subject in 18th-century painting. This series was painted for a Venetian palace, demonstrating Tiepolo's unrivaled ability to transform literary narrative into luminous pictorial drama.
Technical Analysis
Tiepolo's brilliant palette of clear blues, warm pinks, and golden yellows creates a luminous, almost theatrical atmosphere. The composition is arranged with his characteristic theatrical staging, figures placed against an expansive sky.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the sleeping knight's vulnerable pose — Rinaldo is disarmed by enchantment, and Tiepolo contrasts his martial armor with the softness of his slumbering form.
Provenance
Possibly one of four scenes from Tasso made for the 'gabinetto degli specchi' of the Palazzo Corner a San Polo, Venice [according to inventories and other documents discussed by Romanelli 1998]. Count Giovanni Serbelloni, Venice in 1838; by descent, until possibly 1886 [Molmenti 1911 and Knox 1978]. Giulio Cartier, Genoa by 1908 [Malaquzzi Valeri 1908]; Sedelmeyer Gallery, Paris, in 1912 [Ojetti 1912]; James Deering (d. 1925), Vizcaya, from 1913 [information sheet in curatorial file]; bequeathed,1925.
