Erminia and the Shepherds

Several of Delacroix’s paintings are on subjects from the Italian Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso’s epic poem Jerusalem Delivered from 1581 – a story about the battle between the mediaeval crusaders and the Muslim Saracens. In Tasso’s story, Erminia is a Syrian princess who has fallen in love with the Christian crusader Tancred. The painting shows a scene in which she is disguised as a knight to search for her lover who has been wounded in battle. Erminia encounters some shepherds who are frightened by her belligerent appearance.