# Rinaldo and the Magus of Ascalon

- By: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696–1770)
- Date: c. 1742–45
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: 182.9 × 188 cm (72 × 74 in.); Framed: 194 × 190.2 × 7.6 cm (76 3/8 × 74 7/8 × 3 in.)
- Culture: Italy
- Credit line: Bequest of James Deering
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/16495)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/bd2dd3d8-14f3-7acc-baf7-1033694d3740/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The fourth and final large narrative canvas from Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s decorative suite stresses the moral of the story and takes place as Rinaldo rejoins the crusader army. The boat bringing the knight from Armida’s island has just deposited him on the coast of Palestine. The magician of Ascalon uses Rinaldo’s shield to conjure the heroic deeds of his ancestors, urging him to live up to their legacy. In contrast to earlier canvases in the sequence, the young knight appears focused on his mission. In his choice to return to battle, the figure of Rinaldo would have served as a positive example of civic duty for the family who commissioned these decorations.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0