Plaque with the Massacre of the Innocents

Plaque with the Massacre of the Innocents

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The artist of this plaque used dramatic and distorted postures to convey the horror of the Massacre of the Innocents ordered by King Herod after the birth of Jesus. It comes from a larger ensemble whose form and function is unknown. In style it is close to the plaque with an apostle seen nearby.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plaque with the Massacre of the InnocentsPlaque with the Massacre of the InnocentsPlaque with the Massacre of the InnocentsPlaque with the Massacre of the InnocentsPlaque with the Massacre of the Innocents

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.