Simon Vouet
French, 1590 - 1649Manufactory of Raphael de la Planche
French, active 1629 - 1661Rinaldo Carried to Armida's Enchanted Chariot, ca. 1633-1637
On view
Wool and silk (modern cotton lining)
Dimensions177 × 171 in. (449.6 × 434.3 cm)
Gift of Viola E. Bray, 2005.124.2
Having decided to spare the life of Rinaldo, the love-stricken Armida transports the knight to her palace on an enchanted island located far beyond the western horizon. The island is invisible to common mariners and defended by fantastical, fierce monsters. To reach that destination, Armida uses a chariot that flies through the air, drawn by horses (or by dragons, according to the poem). This tapestry shows the slumbering knight, bound by garlands of flowers, being lifted into the coach.
