Descent to Hell
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, heightened with white gouache, on ivory wove paper, laid down on card
Dimensions
25.3 × 20.7 cm (10 × 8 3/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
82682
Art Historical Context
Behold the haunting *Descent to Hell*, masterful pen and ink drawing by an unknown artist, now housed in the Art Institute of's Prints and Drawings Department. This undated work captures a pivotal moment from Christian theology: Christ's harrowing of Hell, where he descends to liberate the souls of the righteous held captive since the Fall. Rendered on delicate ivory wove paper and laid down on card for preservation, its intimate scale—25.3 × 20.7 cm—invites close contemplation, evoking the dramatic intensity of Baroque religious art. The artist's virtuosic technique shines through pen and br...