Massacre of the Innocents

"Massacre of the Innocents" is a powerful religious painting by Daniele Ricciarelli, better known as Daniele da Volterra, a notable Mannerism (late renaissance) artist. The work vividly depicts the biblical story of King Herod’s brutal order to slay all male infants in Bethlehem, capturing intense emotion and dramatic composition characteristic of Mannerist style. This painting exemplifies how religious themes were conveyed with heightened expressiveness and complex allegory, reflecting both the artist’s skill and the spiritual devotion of the period.