Massacre of the Innocents

Annibale Carracci, artist

1560–1609

Valentine Green, artist

1739–1813

Massacre of the Innocents, 1792

Where object was made: England, United Kingdom

Material/technique: mezzotint

Dimensions:
Plate Mark/Block Dimensions (Height x Width): 506 x 658 mm
Plate Mark/Block Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 15/16 x 25 7/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 26 x 35 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 0000.2822

Not on display

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Sallie Casey Thayer sought to bring together wide-ranging objects to create her expansive and representative collection. Similarly, the English engraver Valentine Green attempted to reproduce and publish the formidable collection of paintings that comprised the Düsseldorf Gallery, founded by the German prince Johann Wilhelm II von der Pfalz in 1714. In 1789, the Elector of Bavaria Charles Theodore granted Green a monopoly over engravings from the Düsseldorf Gallery, which resulted in works like this mezzotint after Massacre of the Innocents by the Italian Baroque painter Annibale Carracci. While Green’s project ultimately bankrupted him, this print was a fitting addition to Thayer’s collection. The print features an evocative narrative painting by a well-known 16th-century Italian artist, and it is also a mezzotint; this printing technique was particularly popular in 18th- and 19th-century England because it allowed artists to emulate the appearance of oil paintings. At the bottom right is a perforated gallery tag for the W.B. Thayer Library that marks the print as part of the Thayer collection.