Descent to Limbo

This Descent to Limbo (Christ's Harrowing of Hell) by Bronzino, painted in 1552 for the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, depicts Christ's descent to rescue the souls of the righteous who died before the Redemption. The subject was theologically complex and allowed Bronzino to display his mastery of the nude in a monumental, multi-figure composition. Santa Croce, the principal Franciscan church of Florence and the burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli, was one of the most prestigious locations an artist could receive a commission.

The ambitious multi-figure composition showcases Bronzino's debt to Michelangelo in the muscular, heroic treatment of the nude figures. The complex interweaving of bodies in various states of emergence from Limbo demonstrates his virtuoso draughtsmanship, while the cool, even lighting flattens the space in a characteristically Mannerist manner.