The Massacre of the Innocents, Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem, 1590

The Massacre of the Innocents, Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem, 1590

oil on canvas, h 245cm × w 358cm More details

When Herod, the King of Judea, learned that a child destined to become ‘King of the Jews’ would be born in Bethlehem, he ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of two. The painter portrayed the massacre as a gruesome nightmare. Horror follows upon horror: at lower left a soldier slits a child’s throat, while above them a woman gouges out a soldier’s eyes.

On display in room 2.1

Color code: #191819 Color code: #573931 Color code: #6A6B67 Color code: #AA9979 Color code: #876A4C Color code: #BEB8B0
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Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem

Rijksmuseum

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