L’addio di Rinaldo ad Armida

Lanfranco employs chiaroscuro to model forms, letting bright, sunlit areas emerge from deep shadows and thereby granting the scene a three‑dimensional quality. The palette of warm golds and cool blues, together with fluid brushwork, reflects the classicizing influence of Annibale Carracci while embracing Baroque dynamism.

Completed in 1614, the work entered the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s focus on Baroque art and provides a rare example of Lanfranco’s narrative painting outside Italy.

Lanfranco, a leading figure of the Bolognese school, merged Carracci’s balanced classicism with the dramatic intensity of the Baroque. This painting illustrates his ability to translate literary subjects into visual drama, a common practice among early 17th‑century Italian artists seeking to align poetry and painting.