A mother protecting her most valuable possession.

Massacre of the Innocents (1824) by Léon Cogniet (1794–1880) shows a Biblical scene about a decree of Herod the Great to execute all boys younger than three years old around Bethlehem.

The story is described in Matthew 2, and Cogniet depicts a terrified mother trying to hide from the Roman soldiers in the background. While it is hard to see the details in the background, we can sense the chaos as mothers are running around in panic trying to escape the horrific consequences of Herod's decree.

The mother in the foreground holds her young boy close to her, uncertain what her fate will be. And on the steps, we can see another mother holding two of her children.

It is a very dramatic story, and the strong light contrasts in this painting emphasize the mood.

 A mother protecting her most valuable possession. Massacre

Battle of Chesme at Night (1848) by Ivan Aivazovsky shows the Russian-Turkish naval battle that took place on July 5-7, 1770.

It was part of the on Russo-Turkish War between 1768–1774, and Aivazovsky tried to reimagine this scene under a moonlit sky. During this battle, the Russian used some so-called fire-ships, which were small vessels intended to put the enemy ships on fire. One of those ships could reach the Turkish fleet, and you can see the result here.

Aivazovsky was specialized in seascapes and painted his fair share of battle scenes. But he created many more paintings (literally thousands) in which he focused on capturing the state of the sea and its waves under different weather conditions. He was a true master in capturing the sea and was a professor of seascape painting during his life. And you can still see that in some of the waves he painted in this work.

A mother protecting her most valuable possession. Massacre

The horror of a battle scene. Battle of Chesme at Night