Descent into Limbo (1475/80): Artwork and History

Descent into Limbo (1475/80) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Workshop of Andrea Mantegna Italian, 1431-1506.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

In this deeply engraved, drawinglike print, Christ strides over the demolished gates of hell, carrying a victory standard. On the right, Adam and Eve are seen with their righteous son Abel, while Cain has been left in hell for murdering his brother. The demons that represent the torments of hell herald Christ’s arrival. These devils, with their scales and reptilian tails, resemble dragons, and have elflike ears. They seem to be flying, one of them distractedly doing acrobatic tricks instead of blowing his horn.

Object facts

• Title: Descent into Limbo
• Date: 1475/80
• Artist attribution: Workshop of Andrea Mantegna Italian, 1431-1506
• Place of origin: Italy
• Medium: Engraving in black ink on cream laid paper
• Dimensions: 42.2 × 33.4 cm (16 5/8 × 13 3/16 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1956.1022

Collection credit

Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.