The Harrowing of Hell - Christ in Limbo, plate nine from The Large Passion
1510
Medium
Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
40.2 × 28.7 cm (15 7/8 × 11 5/16 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19565
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This woodcut was part of Albrecht Dürer’s famous series of 12 prints detailing the Passion of Christ. Published in 1511, the prints illustrated a text by the monk Benedictus Chelidonius. The Harrowing of Hell occurred immediately after Christ’s crucifixion, when he descended to hell to release the good souls who had died prior to his own death.
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...