The Massacre of the Innocents

Daniele da Volterra, or known as Daniele Ricciarelli by birth in Volterra, Tuscany (1509–1566), was an Italian Mannerist painter and sculptor. He trained in Siena with Il Sodoma and Baldassare Peruzzi before going to Rome, where he then studied alongside Perin del Vaga. In a way, his entire career was profoundly tuned by a close friendship with Michelangelo, and you can very well see that artistic “presence” everywhere in his work. Even though only limited paintings of Daniele’s still survive, he was generally considered one amongst the leading painters in Rome after 1547, and one of the strongest artistic rivals to Francesco Salviati. Daniele’s works are primarily admired because of his refined approach to setup, expressive anatomy, dramatic play of light and colour, and the almost meticulous preparation. A recent research draws one’s attention toward his preparatory drawings that show a patient and a creative methodology, workshop partnerships, and a growing interest in sculpture in his later years. His mature style combines Michelangelo’s monumental figures with the grace and artificial intricacy that is usually connected to Mannerism, a 16th century movement that often preferred elongated figures, high-strain poses, emotional pressure, and clever compositions rather than the steadier, balanced naturalism of the High Renaissance. One of Daniele da Volterra’s best original pieces is “The Massacre of the Innocents”, created in 1557 for the Church of San Pietro in Volterra, and now kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The painting showcases King Herod’s biblical command to kill every infant boy in Bethlehem, as a kind of attempt to wipe out the Christ Child. Instead of giving a straightforward historical retelling, Daniele turns the episode into a monumental, emotionally loud arrangement. Strong, muscular bodies, clearly influenced by Michelangelo, dominate the scene, as soldiers violently seize children from desperate mothers with their bodies lying scattered across the steps, intensifying this sense of chaos and tragedy. The dramatic arrangement is balanced but somehow still feels uneasy with that deep perspective, Raphael’s classical influence, and Michelangelo’s sculptural style of carved bodies in motion. Recent research also hints that Daniele first put this composition together for an independent panel, before adapting it for the Della Rovere Chapel in Rome later. His then assistant Michele Alberti was in-charge of executing the fresco using Daniele’s preparatory cartoons, more or less. The painting is a depiction of Daniele’s careful planning and his command of anatomy. It also blends technical precision with a kind of profound emotional expression. In the end, it is one of those defining masterpieces of Italian Mannerism.