Descent into Limbo
Andrea Mantegna (Italian, 1431-1506)
1475/80
- Medium
- Engraving in black ink on cream laid paper
- Classification
- Dimensions
- 42.2 × 33.4 cm (16 5/8 × 13 3/16 in.)
- Culture
- Italy
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Prints and Drawings
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this 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.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
