Massacre of the Innocents

1714

Bernard Picart

Associated Names
Bernard Picart

Artist, French, 1673 - 1733

This is a drawing of a chaotic scene within an architecturally-rich environment. The drawing shows entangled forms suggesting movement and struggle, set amidst classical architecture with columns and ruins. Figures in dynamic gestures are depicted in the detailed scene, set against a cityscape extending to rolling hills. The architectural features resemble ancient Roman or Greek styles, including ruins and a triumphal arch, highlighting a historical context. The drawing captures a dramatic moment of unrest.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown and gray ink with gray wash over graphite on laid paper with scraping, incised throughout, the verso blackened for transfer

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 20 x 26 cm (7 7/8 x 10 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1972.2.1

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

n.d.

  • Dury, Corentin. Bernard Picart, 1673 - 1733: Dessinateur de Paris à Amsterdam. Magny-les-Hameaux, Musée de Port-Royal des Champs, 2019, 64, fig. 35.

1974

  • Recent Acquisitions and Promised Gifts: Sculptures, Drawings, Prints. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1974:217.

Inscriptions

recto: lower left in brown ink in later hand: B. Picart fecit; verso: none

Markings

none

Watermarks

Shield w/ fleur-de-lis

Wikidata ID

Q64537328

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