Artwork
Massacre of the Innocents
Massacre of the Innocents is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Alessandro Magnasco. It dates from 1727 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work of religious art, the canvas illustrates the specific event where soldiers kill infants, serving as the main subject of the composition.
Alessandro Magnasco's 1727 oil painting depicts the biblical narrative known as the Massacre of the Innocents. As a work of religious art, the canvas illustrates the specific event where soldiers kill infants, serving as the main subject of the composition. The piece translates this scriptural account into a visual form, focusing on the violent episode described in the Gospel of Matthew.
The work functions as a religious representation of this historical and theological tragedy, capturing the dramatic intensity of the event through Magnasco's characteristic style.
Technique & Style
Alessandro Magnasco's Massacre of the Innocents, created in 1727, is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 65.5 cm in height and 83.5 cm in width. As a religious painting, the artist employed oil paint to depict the narrative subject with his characteristic handling of the medium.
The physical object is classified as a painting and remains a distinct example of Magnasco's religious art genre from the early eighteenth century.
History & Provenance
Created in 1727, the painting Massacre of the Innocents was executed in oil on canvas by the Italian artist Alessandro Magnasco. The work measures 65.5 cm in height and 83.5 cm in width. While the specific commission details and original ownership chain are not recorded in the available sources, the artwork is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis. The piece remains categorized as a religious painting depicting the biblical massacre narrative.
The painting Massacre of the Innocents by Alessandro Magnasco is held by the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis, both institutions listed as its collection and location. Its inventory or accession numbers are not specified in the available sources. The work was created in 1727 and has been exhibited at these museums as part of their religious art displays, reflecting its historical and artistic significance.
Context
Alessandro Magnasco's 1727 oil painting Massacre of the Innocents, housed in both the Rijksmuseum and Mauritshuis, is classified as religious art and exemplifies the artist's dramatic, expressive style within the religious painting genre.
Scholarship emphasizes Magnasco's role in the religious painting tradition of the early 18th century, situating this work within his broader artistic output focused on biblical narratives rendered with heightened emotional intensity.
Overview
Alessandro Magnasco’s Massacre of the Innocents (1727) is an oil painting that captures the biblical episode of King Herod’s order to kill newborn children. Executed on canvas, the work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s holdings and exemplifies the artist’s late‑Baroque sensibility blended with emerging Rococo tendencies.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alessandro Magnasco (February 4, 1667 – March 12, 1749), also known as il Lissandrino, was an Italian late-Baroque painter active mostly in Milan and Genoa.
