- Tancred Baptizing Clorinda
Frame: 81 3/4 × 61 × 4 1/4 in. (207.6 × 154.9 × 10.8 cm)
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The subject of Tancred baptizing Clorinda is taken from an episode in Italian poet Torquato Tasso's romantic epic Jerusalem Delivered (1575–76), an idealized account of the first crusade against the Saracens. The crusade ended with the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 and the establishment of a Christian kingdom. In the poem, Christian knight Tancred has dueled with and mortally wounded his Saracen love, Clorinda, whom he failed to recognize in battle dress. Domenico Tintoretto depicts the moment in which Tancred brings water for the baptism from a nearby brook, recognizing Clorinda's identity only as he unlaces her helmet. As Tancred kneels in full armor, pouring water from his helmet, Clorinda appeals to him with her dying breath to baptize her in the Christian faith.
ProvenanceR. Langton Douglas, London; Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Logan, Chicago, Illinois, 1923; their sale, [Kende Galleries at Gimbel Brothers, New York, 1945, lot no. 170]; [Hirschl and Adler, New York 1955]; Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York, 1957; on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston by 1958; given to MFAH, 1961.
Exhibition HistoryThe Art Institute of Chicago, 1925.
"Venetian Paintings," The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1938.
"Paintings by Jacopo Robusti, Il Tintoretto," Durlacher Brothers, New York, 1939.
"Masterpieces of Art," World's Fair, New York, 1939.
"A Gift to America: Masterpieces of European Painting from the Samuel H. Kress Collection," North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, February 5–April 24, 1994; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 17–August 7, 1994; Seattle Art Museum, September 8–November 27, 1994; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, December 17, 1994–March 4, 1995.
“Masterpieces of European Painting from the 15th to 20th Centuries from
the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation," Museum of Art, Ehime, Matsuyama, Japan, April 13–May 30, 1999; Chiba Prefectural Art Museum, Japan, June 5–July 11, 1999; Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Tsu, Japan, July 17–August 22, 1999; Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan, August 27–October 3, 1999.
"Le meraviglie dell collezioni di Mantova da Mantegna a Guido Reni," Centro Internazionale D'Arte e di Cultura di Palazzo Te, Mantova, Italy, September 7, 2002–January 12, 2003.
"Knights in Shining Armor: Myth and Reality, 1450–1650," Allentown Art Museum, Pennslyvania, January 28–June 17, 2007.
"Heroines," Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, March 8–June 5, 2011.
"Hidden Layers: Painting and Process in Europe, 1500–1800," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 26–September 3, 2018.
"New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 2, 2021–January 23, 2022.
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