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Passion of Jesus Christ: The Descent into Limbo
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this 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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePassion of Jesus Christ: The Descent into Limbo, 1400s. Master AG (German). Engraving; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr., 1922.477