The Descent into Limbo

Andrea Mantegna

mid-15th century · Pen and brown ink, brown wash · Robert Lehman Collection

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.

Artist

Andrea Mantegna

Date

mid-15th century

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brown wash

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975