Rinaldo and the Magus of Ascalon

1742/45

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Italian, 1696–1770

The fourth and final large narrative canvas from Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s decorative suite stresses the moral of the story and takes place as Rinaldo rejoins the crusader army. The boat bringing the knight from Armida’s island has just deposited him on the coast of Palestine. The magician of Ascalon uses Rinaldo’s shield to conjure the heroic deeds of his ancestors, urging him to live up to their legacy. In contrast to earlier canvases in the sequence, the young knight appears focused on his mission. In his choice to return to battle, the figure of Rinaldo would have served as a positive example of civic duty for the family who commissioned these decorations.

Status: On View, Gallery 215
Department: Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist: Giambattista Tiepolo
Title: Rinaldo and the Magus of Ascalon
Place: Italy (Artist's nationality)
Date: 1742–1745
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 182.9 × 188 cm (72 × 74 in.)
Credit Line: Bequest of James Deering
Reference Number: 1925.702
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16495/manifest.json

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Ugo Ojetti, “Le quattro tele del Tiepolo trafugate”, Emporium 36 (July 1912): pp. 64-69, ill.
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Mercedes Precerutti Garberi, affreschi settecenteschi delle ville Venete (Milan, 1968), p. 360.
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Art Institute of Chicago, Century of Progress, June 1 – November 1, 1933, no. 159.
Art Institute of Chicago, Century of Progress, June 1 – November 1, 1934, no. 337.
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Venice, Ca’ Rezzonico, Giambattista Tiepolo, September 5-December 15, 1996, cat. 17d; New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 24 – April 27, 1997.

Possibly one of four scenes from Tasso made for the ‘gabinetto degli specchi’ of the Palazzo Corner a San Polo, Venice [according to inventories and other documents discussed by Romanelli 1998]. Count Giovanni Serbelloni, Venice in 1838; by descent, until possibly 1886 [Molmenti 1911 and Knox 1978]. Giulio Cartier, Genoa by 1908 [Malaquzzi Valeri 1908]; Sedelmeyer Gallery, Paris, in 1912 [Ojetti 1912]; James Deering (d. 1925), Vizcaya, from 1913 [information sheet in curatorial file]; bequeathed, 1925.

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