Kindermoord te Bethlehem 1511

Albrecht Altdorfer created this woodcut, "Massacre of the Innocents," during the Reformation, a period marked by intense religious and social upheaval. This image depicts infanticide ordered by King Herod to prevent the prophesied Messiah’s rise, a scene laden with historical and gendered complexities. Consider the role of motherhood depicted here amidst the carnage. Altdorfer draws us into the stark intersection of political power and maternal grief, reflecting the era's anxieties about religious authority. The soldiers enacting Herod's brutal command are contrasted with the anguish of the mothers, caught in a historical moment where faith and political tyranny collide. Altdorfer's woodcut serves as a potent reminder of the human cost of ideological conflict, compelling us to reflect on the cyclical nature of violence.