Massacre of the Innocents

Giusto de' Menabuoi's Massacre of the Innocents (1376) in the Padua Baptistery is part of one of the most spectacular fresco cycles of the late fourteenth century. Giusto, a Florentine-trained painter who settled in Padua, covered the entire interior of the Baptistery with scenes from the Old and New Testaments, creating an immersive visual environment of remarkable scope and theological ambition. The Massacre of the Innocents—Herod's slaughter of the infant boys of Bethlehem—was among the most emotionally charged subjects in the cycle, demanding the artist convey both horror and divine purpose.

Fresco technique (not tempera on panel) with the vivid coloring and spatial complexity characteristic of Giusto's monumental decorative programs. The composition features a dynamic arrangement of soldiers, mothers, and children creating dramatic tension through interlocking gestures and expressions.