Passion of Jesus Christ: The Descent into Limbo (1400s): Art, History and Details

Passion of Jesus Christ: The Descent into Limbo (1400s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Master AG (German).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Christ is shown preparing to enter the doorway leading to limbo, the first circle of hell, in order to redeem the Old Testament saints. The door has symbolically broken from its hinges, crushing Satan beneath. Christ grasps Adam, now old and gray, by the wrist, accompanied by Eve and other Old Testament righteous ones. The artist has creatively depicted a variety of demons who glare helplessly at Christ.

Object facts

• Title: Passion of Jesus Christ: The Descent into Limbo
• Date: 1400s
• Creator attribution: Master AG (German)
• Culture: Germany
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 14.7 x 10.5 cm (5 13/16 x 4 1/8 in.); Mat Size: 36.3 x 24.5 cm (14 5/16 x 9 5/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1922.477

Collection credit

Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.