The Massacre of the Innocents

c. 1470/1480

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

The image depicts multiple people with medieval or religious themes. One person is seated on a throne wearing a crown and a long robe. Another person is standing holding a spear with a smaller figure on top. A woman is seated on a donkey holding a child, both with halos. Another figure stands next to the woman holding the donkey's reins, and there are additional small figures in the scene. The setting appears to be outdoors with dense foliage, and the border features geometric patterns.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    metalcut, hand-colored in yellow, red-brown lake, and green

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 6.4 × 4.7 cm (2 1/2 × 1 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.663

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, Vol. IX, no. 2212, State z

  • Series Title

    Eight Scenes from a Passion Set

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For complete information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Rosenwald Papers, box 9, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 323, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64953182

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