Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_The_Hermit_and_the_Sleeping_Angelica_-_WGA20418

''Angelica and the Hermit'' is a 1626–1628 painting by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

. It shows an episode from canto 8 of Ludovico Ariosto's poem ''

Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...

''. It is now in the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Context

The story of Angelica and the hermit is narrated in canto 8 of the epic poem Orlando furioso by the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto, in the context of the war between Christians and Saracens, in the time of Charlemagne. Angélica and Orlando (El Caballero Roldán) are among the main characters. Angelica is an extremely beautiful princess from Cathay with whom all the Christian knights fall in love, including Orlando. She is imprisoned in the court of Charlemagne but she escapes from the hands of the Christians and later falls in love with the shepherd Medoro. Orlando's passion for Angelica distracts him from his important task of defending Christianity, which was also Angelica's intention. He sets out in search of her and finally arrives by chance at the place where Angelica and Medoro have carved her names and declarations of love on the tree trunks. The unlucky gentleman loses his mind (he gets "furious") and wanders from one country to another in search of Angelica. On the run from Orlando, an old hermit with magical powers takes Angelica to a desert island, letting a demon take control of his horse. He hides her in a cave and puts her into a deep sleep, after which he removes her clothes and gazes at her. However, when he wants to kiss her body, he lets moral remorse stop him. The Orlando Furioso was very popular at the time of Rubens and the adventures of Angelica inspired numerous artists, especially between 1550 and 1800. The story of Angelica and the hermit was already used by Tintoretto in the 16th century as the subject of a painting, which it was studied by Rubens in Venice between 1600 and 1602.

External links

Translation of the relevant passage of Orlando furioso

{{17C-painting-stub 1628 paintings Paintings by Peter Paul Rubens Paintings in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum