Workshop of Stefano Magnasco, Erminia Among the Shepherds, 1680, Oil on Canvas

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Stefano magnasco (genoa, 1635 – 1673) workshop

erminia among the shepherds

oil on canvas
97 x 122 cm. - framed … Read more Stefano magnasco (genoa, 1635 – 1673) workshop

erminia among the shepherds

oil on canvas
97 x 122 cm. - framed 113 x 137 cm.

the painting illustrated illustrates the episode of erminia among the shepherds, one of the most famous themes of baroque art, taken from canto vii of torquato tasso's poem gerusalemme liberata (vii, 1-22).

in the passage shown, erminia, princess of antioch, secretly in love with the christian hero tancredi, witnesses her lover being wounded in a duel and, driven by love, dons the weapons of her close friend, the warrior clorinda, to reach him at night and heal him.

but at the christian camp, a ray of moonlight illuminates her, and, mistaken for the fearsome clorinda by the sentries, she is forced to flee hastily. She reaches a village on the banks of the jordan river, inhabited by shepherds who live far from the war in an idyllic and serene atmosphere, while the war between christians and muslims rages all around. There, she asks to be hosted for a while, in the vain hope of forgetting her unhappy love.

she is portrayed here in the company of an elderly shepherd intent on listening to the music of his three sons. He confides in her that he lived for a long time at the sumptuous court of memphis in his youth, but abandoned it to escape the intrigue and corruption, taking refuge in that poor but completely serene life.

this passage is one of the most famous in the poem because it introduces the theme of the pastoral idyll: the old man explains to her how a simple life, in contact with nature and devoid of ambition, protects him from the horrors and destructive passions of the war raging nearby.

the composition is based on a clear visual and emotional antithesis, faithful to the structure of tasso's poem: erminia wears armor with a sumptuous helmet, yet her face expresses no aggression, but rather a regal grace that shines through despite her disguise.

our painting captures the moment when the young woman, fascinated by this lifestyle, decides to stay and choose the path of peace, carving the name of her beloved tancredi and the story of her unhappy love into the bark of the trees.

the work, of pleasing pictorial quality, displays a vibrant and luminous brushstroke, fitting easily into the genoese setting of the mid-17th century. It is attributed to the baroque painter stefano magnasco (genoa, 1635–1674), or to a painter from his workshop, a leading exponent of the genoese baroque school and father of the famous alessandro magnasco (known as lissandrino).

clearly influenced by masters such as valerio castello, under whom he was a pupil, and domenico piola, magnasco's paintings are distinguished by strong chiaroscuro contrasts, the theatrical expressiveness of the figures, and the rich chromatic palette of the drapery. The use of bright red fields, for example, found here in the cloak surrounding erminia, was a distinctive feature used by the painter to inject drama into his epic scenes.

specifically, the painting perfectly demonstrates the stylistic characteristics of his painting, which, although trained in castello's workshop, is strongly influenced by the flemish masters who worked in genoa. His fluid and luminous brushstrokes blend the genoese tradition with the theatrical compositions and color choices introduced by rubens and van dyck in genoa.

additional information:

the painting is presented in a beautiful gilded frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic . This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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