In the late 1620s and early 1630s, Poussin painted several paintings based on the famous epic poem “The Liberated Jerusalem”, authored by the great Torquato Tasso. First published in 1580-81, this poem immediately attracted the attention of many artists, who saw in it an inexhaustible well of dramatic plots for their work. The poem talks about the battle for Jerusalem between Christians and Saracens during the First Crusade, held at the end of the XI century.
In addition to the actual battles and details of military life, several love stories are interspersed with the poem. One of them tells of the Christian Knight Rinaldo and the beautiful Armide, who was a sorceress and a river nymph who fought on the side of the Saracens.
And Rinaldo lies immersed in witchcraft sleep. He is defenseless before Armida, and she can freely fulfill her plan – to kill the young man. But the nymph, seeing the beautiful face of Rinaldo, kindled a passion for his enemy and did not dare to use her dagger.
This is one of the most poetic paintings of Poussin, characterized by a rich color and surprisingly free manner. Unfortunately, we do not know the name of the customer of this canvas. The history of its creation remains a mystery – it was first discovered only in 1804.
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