Copy of Raphael's Massacre of the Innocents

1510

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Copy of Raphael's Massacre of the Innocents is a 1510 by Raphael, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Raphael
When & what style?: 1510 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This drawing shows a chaotic scene of people—some standing, some falling—with children in the center. One woman clutches a baby while another reaches out in panic. The background has a faint cityscape with buildings and horses. The figures are sketched in quick, rough lines, with little shading. The artist focused on movement and emotion, not perfect details. The faces look tense, almost like they’re screaming. This style was common in Renaissance art, where stories from history or religion were shown in dramatic ways. Next, look up Renaissance to see how this fits into the bigger picture of art from that time.