This Gothic quatrefoil relief on the North Portal of Rouen Cathedral depicts the Massacre of the Innocents and belongs to the earliest phase of the north-front sculptural campaign, dated 1278–1300. Although the surface has suffered erosion, the core elements of the narrative remain clear.

On the left, a soldier drives the action forward, his arm raised in the act of striking. The energetic twist of his body and the strongly diagonal composition are typical of late 13th-century Rouen carving, which favoured movement and expressive tension even at small scale. In the centre foreground, a child is grasped in the midst of the violence, forming the emotional pivot of the scene. To the right stands a mother, her mantle gathered around her as she gestures protectively towards the child at her side. Her posture conveys both despair and resistance.

The relief is framed within a cusped quatrefoil, a form widely used in this earliest sculptural phase of the portal. Two small heads emerge from the upper lobe, probably angels or onlookers, adding a further layer to the narrative and visually anchoring the composition within its frame.

Carved within the first building stage of the north transept, this panel demonstrates the workshop’s early mastery of compact storytelling: compressed figures, dramatic gesture, and direct emotional appeal. It stands as one of the many small-scale narrative scenes that enliven the North Portal and contribute to its richly layered Infancy and Passion cycle.