Descent into Limbo

c. 1475

Workshop of Andrea Mantegna

Associated Names
Andrea Mantegna

Artist, Paduan, c. 1431 - 1506

This is a drawing of an archway guarded by fantastical creatures and figures. The scene features an architectural structure resembling an ancient archway in a ruinous state, with cracked surfaces and irregular stone blocks. Near the base of the arch, a figure steps onto a platform surrounded by debris and broken pillars. In the background, mythical creatures with wings and grotesque features lurk. The composition incorporates intricate line work and shading reminiscent of Renaissance engravings and drawings.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper (by Gian Marco Cavalli?)

  • Credit Line

    Gift of W.G. Russell Allen

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 44 x 35.3 cm (17 5/16 x 13 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.1.8

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hind 'Engravings', Vol. 5, p.18, no. 9

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1973

  • Prints of the Italian Renaissance, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1973, no. 188, repro.

1983

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., July 1983.

1992

  • Andrea Mantegna, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1992, no. 67a,b.

2006

  • Mantegna e le arti a Verona, 1450-1500, Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Verona, 2006-2007 (catalogue by Sergio Marinelli et al.), no. 28.

Bibliography

1938

  • Hind, Arthur M. Early Italian Engraving; a critical catalogue with complete reproductions of all the prints described. 7 vols. London: Bernard Quaritch Ltd., 1938-1948.

1973

  • Levenson et al. 1973, no.80 (a) (attributed to Zoan Andrea).

2004

  • Salmazo, Alberta De Nicolò. Andrea Mantegna. Milan, 2004: 183 repro.

Watermarks

Flower with small vertical line from bottom petal. Cf. Br. 6327.

Wikidata ID

Q64962889

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