The Massacre of the Innocents

A photograph of a drawing catalogued by Ruland (1876) as being then in the collection of M. Armand in Paris. The drawing corresponds in composition with one of the three panels forming the tapestry of 'The Massacre of the Innocents', part of a twelve-piece set depicting scenes from the Life of Christ traditionally known as ‘Scuola Nuova’ (eleven of which survive today in the Vatican Museums). The set was probably commissioned by Pope Leo X, but the project seems to have been reactivated by Clement VII after his election as pope in 1523. Apparently designed by Raphael’s former assistants after the death of the master (perhaps incorporating some models by Raphael himself), the tapestries were woven in the Brussels workshop of Pieter van Aelst and completed by 1531, when the set was delivered to Rome. Ruland (1876) seemed to accept the view that the ‘Scuola Nuova’ set was a gift to Leo X from Francis I on the occasion of the canonization of Francesco di Paola in 1519. For further discussion, see Bibliographic References.