Simon Vouet
French, 1590 - 1649Manufactory of Raphael de la Planche
French, active 1629 - 1661Armida, the Sorceress, Calls Upon the Powers of Magic to Avenge Her Loss, ca. 1633-1637
On view
Wool and silk (modern cotton lining)
Dimensions181 × 92 in. (459.7 × 233.7 cm)
Gift of Viola E. Bray, 2005.124.8
This second entrefenêtre shows Armida summoning her powers of magic to avenge her loss. From the despair of her abandonment, the spurned sorceress quickly succumbs to a fierce rage that demands revenge upon Rinaldo and upon all of the Christian crusaders. She is shown in a fury amidst sparks and a dark cloud that eclipses the sun. She decides to leave the island in order to gather her soldiers and her allies for a climactic battle outside the walls of Jerusalem, where she intends to fight the enemy to the death.
