The Destruction of Armida's Palace c. 1741 - 1748

Editor: This gorgeous tapestry, "The Destruction of Armida's Palace," was created sometime between 1741 and 1748 by the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins. Woven with such incredible detail! It depicts, well, destruction! The scene is chaotic and baroque, full of flying figures amidst collapsing architecture. The colors feel almost dreamlike and muted. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Oh, a splendid unraveling, isn't it? It's like a fever dream woven into wool! The Gobelins Manufactory, a royal institution, basically illustrated power and taste in France, or tried to anyway, under absolute monarch rule. Notice how everything spirals outward – very baroque! The scene bursts with the drama from Tasso’s "Jerusalem Delivered", where the sorceress Armida's enchanted palace crumbles after our hero Rinaldo breaks free from her charms. Editor: So it's a scene about liberation and breaking illusions? Curator: Precisely! The palace is her illusion. Think of it less as physical bricks and more as an intricate web of seduction. Flowers turn into thorny vines! Order, exemplified by the classical architecture, reverts to a primal, untamed state when the enchantments fade away. It is a battle between illusion and reality and reason. Who do you think is truly free in the tapestry, everyone looks as though they are about to be crushed by a falling column? Editor: Hmm, good question! I initially just saw the destruction but maybe freedom isn't freedom from gravity. Curator: Maybe. And that’s the delightful twist with art isn't it? Things are rarely, well, black and white threads! Editor: Exactly, there's so much more than just meets the eye… or the fingertips! It makes you question everything you initially assumed. Curator: That makes this whole process completely worth it! Thank you.