Kindermoord te Betlehem c. 1751 - 1790

Stefano Mulinari created this unsettling etching, "Massacre of the Innocents," in the late 18th century, a period defined by both the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and the persistence of brutal social inequalities. The image depicts infanticide, a scene of extreme violence against the most vulnerable. It evokes not only the biblical story but also the real-world horrors faced by women and children in the 1700s. Often, infanticide was a desperate act born out of poverty or social stigma. The etching reminds us of the precarity of female existence. The male figure, driven by power, stands in stark contrast to the pleading mother, highlighting the gendered dimensions of violence. The naked child on the ground is a symbol of innocence destroyed. "Massacre of the Innocents" is a powerful reminder of the dark underbelly of history, revealing the emotional and physical toll of systemic oppression.