The Massacre of the Innocents

The Massacre of the Innocents

• Localisation : The Gallery of Painting
• Année de création :Circa 1628-1629
• Artiste :Nicolas Poussin

Description

Commissioned from Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) as part of the decoration for Vincenzo Giustiniani’s palace in Rome, this painting is inspired by an episode of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. King Herod, informed by the Magi that the King of the Jews has just been born in Bethlehem, decides to have all boys aged two and under killed. Poussin minimizes the number of protagonists, which gives the work its dramatic strength. He also restricted his palette to three primary colours. Poussin structured its composition around two diagonals converging on the face of the screaming mother.