Maanlandschap met de vliegende wagen van Armida, waarin ze de slapende Rinaldo meevoert 1784

Albert Christoph Dies created this print titled *Moonlit Landscape with Armida’s Flying Chariot Carrying off the Sleeping Rinaldo*. It encapsulates a moment of transition and vulnerability. The artwork is based on the epic poem *Gerusalemme Liberata*, where the sorceress Armida abducts the sleeping warrior Rinaldo. In Dies's interpretation, Armida is not merely a captor, but also a figure of complex desire and agency. It was created in Rome at the time when the city was a hub for artists captivated by classical and mythological themes. This print highlights the era's fascination with the exotic and the erotic, filtered through romantic landscapes. Dies invites us to contemplate the dynamics of power, desire, and vulnerability. Is Armida a villain, or a woman acting out of longing and desperation? How does Rinaldo's vulnerability challenge traditional notions of masculinity? Perhaps Dies is asking us to consider the multifaceted nature of identity and the narratives we construct around love and power.