Christ in Limbo

Ludwig of Ulm

Associated Names
Ludwig of Ulm

Artist, German, active 1450/1470

This is a painting of a scene with divine and infernal elements. The image shows a central figure wearing a halo and a red robe, holding a staff topped with a cross. The central figure extends a hand towards several imprisoned figures. Flames emerge from the openings of a building, with a demonic figure atop it. The scene suggests a narrative of salvation or liberation from a fiery place. The painting uses bold outlines and a limited color palette, emphasizing red and gold tones. This is in the style of Lucas Cranach the Elder, featuring religious iconography and storytelling through a woodcut aesthetic.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    hand-colored woodcut (blockbook page)

  • Credit Line

    Andrew W. Mellon Fund

  • Dimensions

    Overall: 11.2 x 8 cm (4 7/16 x 3 1/8 in.)
    overall (external frame dimensions): 59.7 x 44.5 cm (23 1/2 x 17 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1968.18.8


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

2005

  • Origins of European Printmaking: Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Their Public, NGA and Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, 2005-2006, no. 64g, repro.

Watermarks

none visible

Wikidata ID

Q65511090

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