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The Massacre of the Innocents (with the Fir Tree)

Artist Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, ca. 1470/1482–1527/1534)
After Artist Raphael (Italian, 1483–April 6, 1520)
Title The Massacre of the Innocents (with the Fir Tree)
Date 1510
Medium Engraving on paper
Dimensions Image: 10 7/8 × 17 1/8 in. (27.6 × 43.5 cm)
Sheet: 10 7/8 × 17 1/8 in. (27.6 × 43.5 cm)
Credit Line Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Henry R. Hope, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 62.218

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About this Work

One of the most famous images of the Renaissance, Marcantonio Raimondi’s engraving was made in collaboration with Raphael. This complex, multi-figured composition portrays the soldiers of King Herod as idealized nudes engaged in violent motion, demonstrating Raimondi’s mastery over the male figure. Raphael and Raimondi control the action, with its potential to disrupt the perfect harmony of image and frame, by means of a strongly symmetrical composition and careful spatial pacing. The reactions of the mothers offer eloquent testimony to the artist’s ability to render extreme emotions.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"The Massacre of the Innocents (with the Fir Tree) | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=62.218