(b. 1267, Vespignano, d. 1337, Firenze)

No. 21 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 5. Massacre of the Innocents 1304-06 Fresco, 200 x 185 cm Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

The Massacre of the Innocents is the only scene in the chapel in which two buildings appear. The octagonal structure on the right recalls a baptistery (an allusion to the baptism of blood of these unfortunate infants?), and is depicted with even greater clarity than the structures at Assisi. One feels that it is a real building, an effect that is heightened by the subtle distinction made between the walls of the radial chapels and the buttresses that divide them; by the green marble mouldings; by the sky visible through the mullioned windows, which suggests that the alternation of buttress and chapel continues beyond our view; and by the interplay of light and shade. Giotto's handling of the shadows in this scene (note the shadow under the roof of Herod's balcony) is even more skilful than in his Assisi frescoes, and provides yet another demonstration of the realism of his art. There are no sacred figures in this scene, and the centre of the composition has been reserved for the figure of an executioner who draws his sword against a child still clinging to its mother's breast. His attitude is echoed in the figure behind him, herculean and ominous under his hood.

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Author: GIOTTO di Bondone Title: No. 21 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 5. Massacre of the Innocents Time-line: 1301-1350 School: Italian Form: painting