The Massacre of the Innocents

Polanzani’s series of 22 prints published under the title Vita della gran Madre...del celebre pittore Nicolo Pussino was published in Rome in 1783. The name of the „famous painter“ is mentioned in the title and on each sheet, but the engravings were done after drawings by Poussin’s close friend, French painter Jacques Stella (1596-1657). Stella lived in Italy for almost 20 years, but unlike Poussin, he returned to his homeland in 1634. While he was named a royal painter in Paris and had many prominent commissions, he never attained Poussin’s level of fame. His works were often mistaken for Poussin’s.