GERUSALEMME LIBERATA

Epic poem written byTorquato Tassobetween 1559 and 1575 while in the service of Duke Alfonso II d'Este of Ferrara; first published in 1581. It relates the recovery of Jerusalem by Christian knights from the Turks in 1099 during the First Crusade. Its main characters are the heroes Rinaldo and Tancredi, who are torn between fulfilling their duties and indulging in their love for Armida and Clorinda, respectively. Rinaldo is the son of Bertoldo, who established the d'Este clan; hence, the poem becomes a celebration of the Ferrarese ducal family's ancestry. TheGerusalemme Liberataenjoyed great success and became a source for artists. BothAnthony van Dyck(1629; Baltimore Art Museum) andNicolas Poussin(1629; London, Dulwich Picture Gallery) painted aRinaldo andArmida;Guercino(1618-1619; Rome, Gallería Doria Pamphili) and Poussin (1630; St. Petersburg, Hermitage; second version 1634, Birmingham, Barber Institute of Fine Arts) renderedTancredi and Erminia, another character from the story who loves Tancredi; and Guercino paintedErminia and the Shepherds(1649; Minneapolis Institute of Arts).