Rinaldo and Armida in Her Garden

This dreamy scene comes from a famous Italian poem called "Jerusalem Delivered," written by Torquato Tasso in the 1500s. It tells the story of Rinaldo, a knight on his way to fight in the Crusades, who gets sidetracked when the beautiful sorceress Armida casts a spell on him. Here we see the two lovers tangled up together in her enchanted garden, lost in each other's eyes and completely forgetting about the war. Look closely on the right side and you'll spot two of Rinaldo's fellow knights hiding behind a stone pillar, spying on him. They've come to snap him out of the magic and drag him back to his duties.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo was one of the great Venetian painters of the 1700s, known for his light, airy style and soft, glowing colors. You can see that touch here in the pale skies, the flowing orange and gold fabrics, and the chubby little cupid floating overhead, who hints at the love that has trapped Rinaldo. Tiepolo painted this as part of a series of four works showing the same tale, so it was meant to be enjoyed as one piece of a bigger story. It captures that moment when desire and duty pull a person in two directions, a theme that still feels familiar today.