Rinaldo Abandons Armida

1775

This is a scene from the epic poem Gerusalemme Liberata (Jerusalem liberated) by Torquato Tasso. A story in this 16th-century epos about the First Crusade tells of the sorceress Armida who falls in love with the valiant crusader Rinaldo. She enchants him, and he falls under her spell. When the charm is ultimately broken, Rinaldo, filled with revulsion, turns away from Armida – the moment depicted here.