Tancred Tended by Erminia and Vafrino 1580 - 1613

Curator: At first glance, this feels like stepping into a slightly melancholic dream. The delicate engraving lends a hazy, almost ethereal quality to the scene. Editor: This is "Tancred Tended by Erminia and Vafrino," a print by Paulus Willemsz. van Vianen, created sometime between 1580 and 1613. It depicts a scene from Tasso's epic poem "Jerusalem Delivered," a popular subject matter during the Baroque period. The Rijksmuseum is quite fortunate to have this example of the artist's print oeuvre within its collection. Curator: Ah, Baroque, that makes sense! I was going to say, there's something so theatrical about it, the way the figures are posed and the landscape feels almost like a stage set. You know, like the world is crafted specifically to reveal heightened emotion. Editor: Exactly. Think about the poem's context too: it was part of the Counter-Reformation’s effort to celebrate Christian heroism. And here, Erminia, a Saracen princess, is tending to the wounded Christian knight Tancred, highlighting themes of compassion that transcend religious boundaries even in conflict. Curator: Right, and Erminia, she just emanates calm in the middle of this… chaos. It feels strangely… tender, doesn’t it? Especially how Van Vianen depicts her reaching toward Tancred’s injury, the gesture itself a promise of gentle touch. It's really remarkable. Editor: It also reflects how gender intersects with power. Erminia's nurturing contrasts starkly with the violence of the battle and the male figures who perpetuated the action in the first place. She is stepping outside of her expected role to rewrite the ending in her terms. Curator: The backdrop almost feels like it has more drama than the foreground at times. Van Vianen uses it so effectively—look at how he crafts space that feels open but full of mystery, with dark, looming trees hovering. Editor: And notice that horse standing by passively? The figures exist at odds in relationship with their surroundings: one in need of recuperation and the other bearing silent witness. Curator: I love the drama. You see just enough light peeking through to create this lovely interplay between dark and light. Okay, yes, I am totally won over. It felt very heavy initially, but learning about the piece, I see that hope also pierces through this darkness. Editor: Absolutely. "Tancred Tended by Erminia and Vafrino" allows us to revisit how historical narratives often mask complexities relating to compassion and care. What looks like merely a historical depiction holds the opportunity to reframe cultural mores of care that, frankly, continue into the present.