Massacre of the Innocents

CAREL VAN MALLERY (1571-1635?) (engraving);

PHILLIPE GALLE (1537-1612) (editor)

Antwerp, ca. 1600.

Burin on glued laid paper.

Cropped close to the image. Glued laid paper.

The presence of the Moon in the night sky is often interpreted as a sign of ambiguous reading. Sometimes, its light is the only guide in the middle of the night, driving away the innate terror of the dark. In others, her pale presence is interpreted as a fatal sign that anticipates death.

In this Massacre of the Innocents, the crescent Moon appears as an exceptional witness to the crimes and bloody events that occur at night, illuminating the scene with a clarity that increases the drama.