Angelica Resting Under a Tree, from Orlando Furioso 1810 - 1813

Felice Giani created this pen and brown ink wash drawing titled, *Angelica Resting Under a Tree, from Orlando Furioso* sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Angelica is a character from Ludovico Ariosto's early 16th-century Italian epic poem *Orlando Furioso*. At this time, the aesthetics of art and literature were changing in Europe and the old aristocratic patronage system was breaking down. This drawing connects to broader cultural conversations about the importance of nature and the way artists found inspiration in literary sources. We see a shift from the grand history painting style promoted by the French Academy to something more intimate. To fully appreciate this work, we need to understand the cultural value placed on the classics, the changing role of artists in society, and the institutions that supported them. These factors all shape the art we see today.