The artwork “Tancred and Erminia” is a classical oil on canvas painting by Nicolas Poussin, dated approximately to the year 1631. Measuring 98 by 147 centimeters, it is a literary painting currently housed in the Hermitage Museum located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This piece epitomizes the Classicism art movement, which emphasizes clarity, order, and harmony in composition.
The artwork depicts a scene inspired by Torquato Tasso’s epic poem “Gerusalemme Liberata” (Jerusalem Delivered). The scene captures the dramatic moment when Erminia, the daughter of the king of Antioch, finds the wounded Tancred. Erminia, clad in a blue dress and wearing a determined expression, is in the act of cutting her own hair to bandage Tancred’s wounds. Tancred lies on the ground in a red garment, rendered passive and vulnerable due to his injuries, while a fully armored soldier kneels beside him, possibly attempting to aid or show sympathy.
Two horses feature prominently in the composition; one, in the foreground, is a brown steed seemingly belonging to Erminia, as its gaze is directed towards its owner. The other, a white horse adorned with an orange cloth, stands in the background and belongs to Tancred, implicitly waiting for its master’s recovery.
The landscape in the background is rendered in darker tones, suggestive of either the onset of night or the shadowed light of dawn, adding a sense of timelessness and drama to the narrative. The composition is balanced, with the figures creating a diagonal line that draws the viewer’s eye across the painting. Despite the turmoil depicted, the artwork radiates a calm and ordered sensibility, consistent with the principles of Classicism and Poussin’s own meticulous style.
