Descent into Limbo
c. 1490–1500
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 41.2 × 28.2 cm · mat size: 56 × 40.7 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession Number
1926.261
Tags
About this artwork
This subject, also known as the Harrowing of Hell, recounts Christ’s descent into limbo, the first circle of hell, to liberate the souls of Old Testament saints. The church taught that those who lived and died in an era without the Christian sacraments were relegated to a lower place until Christ could come redeem them. Here Christ, holding the banner of the Resurrection, enters through a doorway. Broken from its hinges, the door has fallen to the ground over which Christ triumphantly walks. A g...
About the Artist
Giovanni Antonio da Brescia (Italian)
The designation "Italian" in art collections typically refers to an anonymous artist or a loose attribution to works from Italian schools, rather than a specific individual. With 173 known artworks in the museum's collection, this entry likely encompasses paintings by unidentified masters active across various periods, such as the Renaissance, Baroque, or later eras. Early life and personal detail...