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Several versions of The Massacre of the Innocents were painted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1565–67) and his son Pieter Brueghel the Younger (into the 17th century). Massacre of the Innocents by Guido Reni, created in 1611 for the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna, but now in the Pinacoteca Nazionale in that city.
The Massacre of the Innocents is the subject of two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens depicting the episode of the biblical Massacre of the Innocents of Bethlehem, as related in the Gospel of Matthew (2:13–18).
- Oil on Canvas, Flemish Baroque
The Painting: The Massacre of the Innocents is a story from the life of Christ. As recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (2:16–18), Herod the Great, King of Judea, ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of two in and near the town of Bethlehem.
Bruegel’s Massacre of the Innocents was a popular image, repeated numerous times mainly by the artist and by his son, Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Shortly after its creation the painting came...
- The first painting was completed shortly after the artist’s return from Italy. Peter Paul Rubens was an educated man who studied Renaissance humanism in Antwerp, the city in modern-day Belgium where he lived and worked for most of his life.
- The second version was painted during the final years of Rubens’ life. Rubens ran a large workshop in Antwerp so he never really left the city. He did, however, acquired so much wealth that he managed to purchase a castle referred to as “Het Steen” near the Belgian city of Mechelen, not too far south of Antwerp.
- The painting depicts a Biblical story from the Gospel of Matthew. This particular Biblical story served as a great inspiration for artists because it has been depicted numerous times throughout history.
- The first version clearly shows the influence of Italian artists. The contrast between the first and second versions of the painting is clear. The artist was influenced by the paintings of Italian artists that he saw during his extended stay in the country.
Poussin's Massacre of the Innocents was painted for Vincenzo Giustiniani during Poussin's early years in Rome. Ironically, this wealthy and influential Italian aristocrat, banker and art collector is perhaps most famous for his patronage of Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio, the artist that Poussin most despised.
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Gerolamo Mocetto, The Massacre of the Innocents with Herod, about 1500-25. Read about this painting, learn the key facts and zoom in to discover more.
