Landscape with Erminia

The work titled Landscape with Erminia, dated 1630, is executed in oil on a wooden panel, a support typical of early‑Baroque easel paintings. The medium is oil paint applied in thin, translucent layers that create a luminous atmospheric effect. Compositionally, the scene combines a gently receding landscape with figures, a shepherd, a woman, and sheep, arranged in a balanced, classical setting that reflects Claude Lorrain’s idealized treatment of nature.

Light is diffused across the sky, emphasizing depth through aerial perspective, while the meticulous rendering of foliage and terrain demonstrates a refined linear drawing beneath the painterly wash. The painting’s formal qualities thus merge delicate tonal modulation with precise draftsmanship, characteristic of Lorrain’s synthesis of poetic landscape and Baroque spatial order.

Landscape with Erminia is an oil-on-panel work attributed to Claude Lorrain, dated to 1630. The painting is based on Jerusalem Delivered, situating its creation within the early phase of Lorrain's career. Attribution has historically been shared with Agostino Tassi, reflecting the collaborative or contested authorship of certain early landscapes associated with both artists.

The work is held jointly by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Morgan Library & Museum, with documented ownership passing through the dealer and collector Eugene Thaw. Its present location is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The panel measures 32.7 by 45.7 centimeters.

The painting Landscape with Erminia, dated to 1630, is associated with the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Morgan Library & Museum. While some records attribute the work to Agostino Tassi, others identify Claude Lorrain as the creator. The piece, executed in oil on panel, was formerly owned by Eugene Thaw.

The provided sources indicate these institutional associations but do not specify distinct inventory or accession numbers, nor do they list specific past exhibitions or dates of display for the work.

Landscape with Erminia (1630) by Claude Lorrain exemplifies the artist’s mature idealized classical landscape, a hallmark of Baroque painting that blends naturalistic observation with poetic composition. The work draws its narrative from Torquato Tasso’s epic Jerusalem Delivered, reflecting Lorrain’s engagement with contemporary literature and his role in elevating landscape to history painting. Documented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and formerly owned by Eugene Thaw, the painting’s substantial size and oil‑on‑panel technique underscore its technical mastery.

Scholars have analyzed it as a key example of Lorrain’s synthesis of earlier masters and his influence on later artists, positioning it centrally within the development of European landscape art.

Claude Lorrain, a French Baroque artist who primarily worked in Italy, completed Landscape with Erminia in 1630. This oil painting exemplifies his characteristic integration of classical or biblical narratives into expansive natural settings, often featuring diminutive figures. The work is a significant example of his landscape tradition and is part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.