Erminia, Princess of Antioch

This early painting by Preti is notable for its rare literary subject and clear stylistic allusion to Paolo Veronese. The subject of this picture is taken from Torquato Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata (1580). The heroine Erminia inscribed his lover Tancred’s name on every tree and branch.

The choice of subject matter was doubtless inspired by Pietro da Cortona and Nicolas Poussin, both of whom had painted stories from Tasso in Venetian influenced styles.