The Massacre of the Innocents by Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (1562-1638) oil on canvas, 1590. When Herod, the King of Judea, learned that a child destines to become 'King of the Jews' would be born in Bethlehem, he ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of two. The painter portrayed the massacre as a gruesome nightmare. Horror follows upon horror: at lower left a soldier slits a child's throat, while above them a woman gouges out a soldier's eyes. Photo via Newscom