The Descent into Limbo
In this innovative composition, Christ is portrayed from behind as he embarks upon his descent into Limbo, the zone before the entrance to Hell, where he traveled after his death and before his Resurrection. The story is not found in the New Testament but was part of early Church teachings and by the fifteenth century was an accepted Christian belief. This work is closely related to a group of drawings, engravings, and paintings of a similar composition attributed to Andrea Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini, and their circle. This sheet is likely a copy after a lost drawing by one of these masters. Mantegna’s depictions of this subject inspired versions by Bellini, exemplifying the exchanges between the artists.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Descent into Limbo
- Artist: Circle of Andrea Mantegna (Italian, Isola di Carturo 1430/31–1506 Mantua)
- Date: mid-15th century
- Medium: Pen and brown ink, brown wash
- Dimensions: 10 9/16 x 7 7/8 in. (26.9 x 20 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.1.274
- Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection
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Andrea Mantegna
n.d.
Andrea Mantegna
Late 18th or early 19th century
Andrea Mantegna
before 1475
Andrea Mantegna
ca. 1500–10
Andrea Mantegna
ca. 1490
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