Artwork
Reconciliación de Reinaldo y Armida
Reconciliación de Reinaldo y Armida is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist David Teniers the Younger. It dates from 1628 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the reconciliation between the characters Rinaldo and Armida, a scene drawn from the narrative of Jerusalem Delivered.
The painting depicts the reconciliation between the characters Rinaldo and Armida, a scene drawn from the narrative of Jerusalem Delivered. This subject illustrates a moment of emotional resolution between the two figures, central to the epic poem's plot. The visual narrative includes specific iconographic elements such as a combat helmet, which underscores the martial context surrounding their personal encounter.
By portraying this specific episode, the work represents the tension and eventual harmony between the forces of war and the complexities of romantic love found in the source text.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil paint on a copper support, incorporating copper leaf to achieve a distinctive reflective surface. Its composition draws from the narrative of Jerusalem Delivered, depicting the characters Rinaldo and Armida in a dramatic encounter marked by a combat helmet. The work measures 27 cm in height and 39 cm in width, reflecting the scale typical of early‑17th‑century cabinet paintings.
History & Provenance
David Teniers the Younger created this oil painting on copper leaf between 1628 and 1629. The work illustrates a scene from Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, featuring the characters Rinaldo and Armida alongside a combat helmet.
The painting entered the Spanish Royal Collection, where it was owned successively by Philip V, Elisabeth Farnese, Charles III, and Ferdinand VII. It is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado, with historical records associating its location with the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso.
The work is held in the Museo del Prado, with accession number P001155, where it is located at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
It was previously in the Spanish royal collection, having been owned by Philip V, Elisabeth Farnese, Charles III, and Ferdinand VII before entering the Prado.
Overview
David Teniers the Younger completed this oil painting in 1628. The work, titled Reconciliación de Reinaldo y Armida, is part of the collection of the Museo del Prado. It portrays a moment drawn from the heroic romance of Armida and Rinaldo, set beside a river under a storm‑filled sky.
Context
Armida and Rinaldo are central characters in Torquato Tasso’s epic poem "Jerusalem Delivered," a popular source for 17th‑century visual artists. Teniers, known for genre scenes and historical subjects, adapts the literary episode to a compact, emotionally charged tableau, aligning with contemporary tastes for dramatic storytelling.
Legacy
The work illustrates the diffusion of Italian literary themes into Northern European painting and contributes to the Prado’s representation of Baroque narrative art. It continues to be referenced in studies of cross‑cultural artistic exchange in the early modern period.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, and artist.
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Jupiter, Disguised as Diana, Seducing the Nymph Callisto
Minerva Visits the Muses
Bacchus and Ariadne
Venus and Adonis
The Rape of Europa- Carlos y Ubaldo en las islas Afortunadas