The original epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso was first published in 1581. It relates how the sorceress, Armide, having fallen in love with the crusading knight, Renaud, is now on a mission to destroy him. The intense moment is when Armide cannot bring herself to stab the sleeping Renaud with a dagger: she understands that she fell in love at first sight. He succumbs to Armide’s charms in her enchanted palace, but she fears the power of her rival, Glory. Armide realises that Renaud loves her only because she exercises her supernatural powers over him, and when, thanks to the help of his friends, Renaud recovers his honour and his military glory, he finally abandons her. At the end, she swears vengeance, conjures up the Demons to destroy her palace, and flies off in her chariot. Adapted by Lully at Versailles for the King Louis XIV, critics in the 18th century regarded Armide as Lully’s masterpiece : the psychological torments of a woman torn between love and revenge.
Sampling on request, subject to availability.
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4 - 6 weeks
Printed in England
Custom colours available, please enquire.
2 rolls
10 meters per roll
Bringing together traditional methods, an archive of historical designs, and a range of contemporary colours, our hand-blocked wallpapers are a sumptuous statement for any room.
We use the original handmade pear wood blocks and rollers to produce our papers the traditional way. We have a wide range of designs with a variety of scales and styles, along with the skilled ability to produce rolls in any colour to transform the distinctive into the truly unique.
When our designs were first drawn for the block makers in Watts’ early years they would have been coloured specifically for each job. Today we can offer a wide range of colours but we take great care to use a palette that is true to our design roots.
Using traditional materials helps as part of today’s drive to create sustainable buildings but best of all it ensures that the printed surface avoids the plastic monotony of alkyd and acrylic paints.