Christ descending into Limbo

Art Historical Context

This engraving captures the dramatic moment of Christ’s descent into Limbo, a subject drawn from Christian tradition in which the resurrected Savior liberates the souls of the righteous who had died before his coming. Created in 1566 by engraver Mario Cart after a composition associated with Andrea Mantegna, the print reflects the enduring influence of Mantegna’s inventive designs well into the sixteenth century. Mantegna, a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance, was renowned for his precise draftsmanship and interest in classical antiquity, qualities that lent themselves beautifully to th...