The Baptism of Clorinda
Artist: Ambroise Dubois (French, c. 1543–1614/1815)
Date: 1601 - 1606
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Palace of Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau, France
Description
"The Baptism of Clorinda" is a famous tragic scene from Torquato Tasso's 16th-century epic poem, Jerusalem Delivered (Gerusalemme Liberata). It depicts a Christian knight, Tancredi, who unknowingly battles and mortally wounds his beloved, Clorinda—a fierce Muslim warrior-maiden. Discovering her identity after unlacing her helmet, a devastated Tancredi baptizes the dying Clorinda at her own request so her soul can be saved.
















