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Tancred Frees Herminia, from The Story of Tancred and Clorinda

Workshop of Raphael de la Planche Flemish
1645–60
Not on view
In a scene of early modern European fantasy, a Muslim princess, Herminia, recollects the magnanimity shown her by Christian conqueror, Tancred, in the setting of the ruined and ravished city of Antioch (in modern-day Turkey). The sixteenth-century epic poem inspiring it, La Gerusalemme Liberata written by Torquato Tasso, ostensibly recounted the eleventh-century religious wars– known as “The First Crusade”– initiated by the Latin Church to [re]claim the Holy Land from Islamic rule. However, factually wildly inaccurate, the story was primarily a sensational romance, and thinly veiled propaganda against the rapidly expanding Ottoman empire. Recognizing a burgeoning market for such subject matter, the tapestry was expertly woven by Flemish weavers, themselves refugees from the Protestant-Catholic religious wars, in a small but exceedingly successful commercial workshop in Paris.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tancred Frees Herminia, from The Story of Tancred and Clorinda
  • Designer: Michel Corneille the Elder (French, Orléans 1602–1664 Paris)
  • Maker: Workshop of Raphael de la Planche (Flemish, active 1632–1661)
  • Date: 1645–60
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Wool and silk, 8 warps per cm.
  • Dimensions: 11 ft. 6 in. × 15 ft. 2 in. (3.51 × 4.62)
  • Classification: Textiles-Tapestries
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. Alex Donics and Mr. Jean-Marc Donics, in memory of Mameya, 2025
  • Object Number: 2025.855
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
Tancred and Clorinda, from the story "Gerusalemme Liberata", Parchment, paint, mother-of-pearl, gold, precious stones, possibly German
Tancred and Clorinda, from the story "Gerusalemme Liberata"
possibly German
mid-18th century
Allegorical Figures for a Ceiling Decoration, Michel Corneille the Elder French, Black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on beige paper.
Allegorical Figures for a Ceiling Decoration
Michel Corneille the Elder
Former Attribution Formerly attributed to Pierre Mignard
17th century
Costume Armor in the Classical Style, Hallé French, Helmet: linen, papier-mâché, bole, gold leaf, graphite; tunic: silk, cotton, metal coils and spangles, metallic yarn, French, Paris
Costume Armor in the Classical Style
Helmet includes original paper label of Hallé
ca. 1788–90
Emperor Vespasian Cured by Veronica's Veil, Wool, silk, and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk in slit, dovetailed, and double interlocking tapestry weave., Flemish, Brussels
Emperor Vespasian Cured by Veronica's Veil
Flemish, Brussels
ca. 1510
The Combat of Manricardo and Zerbino from a set illustrating Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, Raphaël de La Planche, Wool, silk (16-18 warps per inch, 6-7 per cm.), French, Paris
The Combat of Manricardo and Zerbino from a set illustrating Ariosto's Orlando Furioso
Manufactory probably Manufactory of Raphaël de La Planche
1630–50

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