1547
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Murder of the Children of Bethel is a 1547 ink by Augustin Hirschvogel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
Augustin Hirschvogel shows soldiers swinging babies by their feet. Blood spatters the ground below. The scene comes straight from a Bible story about a brutal king. Hirschvogel used etching to scratch this dark image onto metal. The lines are sharp and angular, making the violence feel sudden and shocking. This kind of print could spread the story fast in the 1500s. Want to see more? Look up the artist Augustin Hirschvogel.
Augustin Hirschvogel (1503 – February 1553) was a German artist, mathematician, and cartographer known primarily for his etchings.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
