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1 of 253523 objects
Rinaldo and Armida c.1637-40
Black chalk underdrawing, pen and brown ink, brown wash | 25.0 x 36.7 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 911976
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A drawing of Armida with putti carrying the sleeping Rinaldo towards a chariot among clouds; cupids, nymphs and a river-god in the foreground; distant landscape. This appears to be a contemporary copy after a finished drawing by Poussin, preparatory for a painting executed for Jacques Stella around 1637, now lost but known through an engraving by Guillaume Chasteau. The lost drawing recorded in this sheet was possibly a modello for Stella's approval, but the composition as painted was altered substantially.
There are two surviving autograph drawings for the composition, RCIN 911923 and in the Louvre (Rosenberg and Prat 1994, no. 58). Rosenberg and Prat tentatively suggested that this copy might have been retouched by Poussin, but there is no sign that two hands were responsible for the drawing.
What was almost certainly this sheet was described by Bellori (Le Vite de Pittori, 1672, p 44), without stating whether he was discussing a drawing or a painting.
Provenance
Cardinal Camillo Massimi (1620-1677); from whose heirs bought in 1739, for 300 scudi, by Richard Mead (1673-1754); probably presented to Frederick, Prince of Wales, by 1750.
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Black chalk underdrawing, pen and brown ink, brown wash
Measurements
25.0 x 36.7 cm (sheet of paper)
Object type(s)
Other number(s)
RL 11976Alternative title(s)
Rinaldo et Armida