Pacifical-medaillon with Christ in Limbo
Original title: Pacifical-medaillon with Christ in Limbo
kurzbeschreibung
Lucas Cranach the Elder made this woodcut around 1550, showing Christ in Limbo surrounded by other figures in a turbulent scene. The sheet has an ornamental border and entered the collection in 1928 through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund.
Description
A figure representing Christ forms the centre of the medallion; around him are several figures who seem caught up in a struggle or dispute. Behind them rises a tower or fortress, surrounded by smoke or flames. The figures in the foreground crowd together in restless, barely ordered succession, suggesting violent action. Elaborate ornaments frame the medallion; at the bottom edge appears the year 1550.
Context
Cranach, a leading German painter and printmaker of the Renaissance, was closely associated with the Reformation. The motif of Christ's descent into hell belongs to the core of Christian iconography and draws on apocryphal writings and medieval theology. Many of the artist's religious woodcuts served to spread Reformation ideas. The exact date of this sheet is not recorded; the year 1550, however, provides a clue for dating.
Impact
The densely packed file of figures and the drastic setting of tower and flames create an immediate impact. Against the chaos inside, the ornamental frame stands out and gives the sheet an elaborate, almost decorative quality without diminishing the seriousness of the subject.
Technique
Executed as a woodcut, specifically the second state of two. The lines and contours typical of this process stand out clearly. For printing, a woodblock was presumably used whose raised areas were inked and transferred to the paper.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)