Angelica Kauffmann, 1741–1807, Swiss, active in Britain (1766–81)
Title:
Rinaldo and Armida
Date:
1771
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
51 1/2 × 60 1/4 inches (130.8 × 153 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.383
Gallery Label:
First exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1772, this depiction of the story of Rinaldo and Armida is taken from Torquato Tasso’s Gerusalemme Liberata (1580), a poetic account of the First Crusade. Rinaldo was a handsome prince, and Armida was a beautiful sorceress sent by the devil to disrupt the crusaders. Armida bewitches Rinaldo but falls in love with him instead, and the pair explore their amorous adventures. The couple is shown at the moment when Rinaldo’s fellow crusaders discover his whereabouts and prepare to rescue him from his enchantment and distractions of love. Gallery label for Love, Life, Death, and Desire: An Installation of the Center's Collections (Yale Center for British Art, 2020-11-01 – 2021-02-28)
