What movement is 'The Murder of the Innocents' by Giuseppe Dini at Crystal Palace?

'The Murder of the Innocents' by Giuseppe Dini at Crystal Palace is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

'The Murder of the Innocents' by Giuseppe Dini at Crystal Palace

'The Murder of the Innocents' by Giuseppe Dini at Crystal Palace is a photographic photography by the Impressionist artist Negretti and Zambra. It dates from 1855 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

A mid-19th-century stereoscopic daguerreotype photograph captures Giuseppe Dini's sculpture, 'The Murder of the Innocents', as exhibited at the relocated Crystal Palace in Sydenham after 1854. The photograph is presented in a distinctive format.

Subject & Meaning

The sculpture depicted, 'The Murder of the Innocents', references a biblical event (Matthew 2:16-18), where King Herod ordered the massacre of all male infants in Bethlehem. The scene shows a man (possibly Herod's soldier) with a sword and a woman clinging to a child, conveying horror and desperation.

Technique & Style

The photograph is a stereoscopic daguerreotype, an early 3D imaging technique, mounted in a glazed passe-partout frame with arched openings. Accompanying elements include a color palette grid (with red, blue, green, yellow, purple) and a ruler (marked in cm and inches), possibly for scale and color reference in viewing the sculpture.

History & Provenance

Exhibited at Crystal Palace, Sydenham, post-1854. The photograph bears a label from Negretti and Zambra, a known photographic supplier and equipment maker of the time, indicating their involvement in the image's production or distribution.

Context

Part of the broader Victorian interest in both technological innovations (stereoscopy) and the display of artistic and historical pieces at the Crystal Palace, a major cultural venue.

Legacy

This photograph serves as a record of Dini's sculpture's presentation at a significant historical venue and reflects the intersection of art, technology, and public exhibition in the 19th century.