Torquato Tasso en prinses Eleonora d'Este 1807 - 1862

Hippolyte-Louis-Emile Pauquet made this print of Torquato Tasso and Princess Eleonora d'Este in the 19th century. It depicts a scene of courtly love from 16th-century Italy. The print visualizes an imagined relationship between the poet Tasso and the Princess d’Este and is indicative of the period in which it was made. The image’s composition, with its theatrical staging, dramatic lighting, and emphasis on romantic sentiment, reflects the values of 19th-century Romanticism. But what might these values tell us about the social and institutional conditions of that time? To explore this question further, one might research the history of the literary and artistic canon in 19th-century France, focusing on the institutional structures—such as the Académie des Beaux-Arts—that shaped artistic production and reception. One could consider how the image reinforces or challenges conventional ideas about gender, class, and power.