The Massacre of the Innocents (Left side), with man on horseback at center left, women and children below, group of figures standing on steps above, Herod seated on throne at upper right 1517

Domenico Campagnola's 1517 engraving, "The Massacre of the Innocents," depicts the biblical story of King Herod's order to kill all male infants in Bethlehem. The scene is filled with a sense of frantic chaos, as women desperately try to protect their children from the soldiers who are brutally executing them. Campagnola's detailed engraving, executed in the style of the High Renaissance, captures the emotional impact of this horrific event, with dramatic use of light and shadow. The composition is balanced, yet the scene feels dynamic and tense with detailed figures that add to the sense of realism and human tragedy.