Massacre of the Innocents, Italian or French C.1825, After Guide Reni (1575-1642)

Oil on canvas

A beautiful Italian or French painting depicting the Massacre of the Innocents from the Gospel of Matthew. Before a landscape bathed in light, but set with dark and heavy architecture, a group of eight adults and eight children has been skilfully arranged (including the putti distributing the palm of victory). The unusual vertical format, rarely used for this theme, and above all the symmetrical structure of figural counterparts indicate that Reni was particularly interested in a specific problem of composition: that of achieving a balance between centripetal and centrifugal movement while combining them in a static pictorial structure. The composition is balanced despite the violence of the scene and Reni managed to portray an almost theatrical dimension to the work. The scene is characterised by the contrast of colours and the dramatic gestures. The artist carefully studied Reni and created his work in the same bold colours as the original (painted in 1611) from the church of San Domenico and the Pinacoteca of Bologna (see the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna Catalogo Generale. delle opere esposite, No. 206, p 144. - Bologna 1987). Reni’s greatest rival was Caravaggio but Reni’s influence was to extend far beyond that of Caravaggio, well into the 18th and 19th centuries and our painting is an example of this influence at that time. An early work such as The Massacre of the Innocents bears clear traces of his initial links with Caravaggio and, at the same time, already reveals the most important arguments against him. In line with the Italian schools this composition contains a magnificent use of light. The faces of all five women are brightly lit whilst their attackers are shaded and dark. The figures throughout are well drawn and the faces are anatomically impeccable, whilst the artist paid no less attention to the beautiful fabrics.

Still held in its original ornate frame with the original gilding. A fine specimen.

Provenance: Private collection Paris

Measurements: Height 106cm, Width 75cm framed (Height 41.75”, Width 29.5” framed)?

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