When the three magi set off to find the newborn Christ, they asked Herod, king of Judea, if he knew where the child could be found. Upon hearing of the birth of the new king of the Jews, Herod felt his position threatened and ordered the killing of all the children in his kingdom aged two or younger. The story gave artists the occasion to paint a complex scene of violence and desperation that highlighted their artistic abilities. Among the most poignant examples are Giotto's in the Arena Chapel in Padua (1305), Domenico del Ghirlandaio's in the Cappella Maggiore at Santa Maria Novella, Florence (1485-1490), Guido Reni's in the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna (1611), and Peter Paul Rubens'in the London National Gallery (1611-1612).
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. Lilian H. Zirpolo. 2008.