DUCCIO di Buoninsegna
(b. ca. 1255, Siena, d. 1319, Siena)

1308-11, Tempera on wood, 51 x 53,5 cm
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

Descent to Hell

The episode of the Descent into Hell is not mentioned in the canonical gospels, but recounted in the apocryphal gospel of Nicodemus. It is an iconographic theme little diffused in Western painting, shows clear traces of Byzantine art in the abundant use of gold on Jesus' robe and the unimaginative layout of the scene itself. Having burst open the gates of hell, Christ arrives in limbo to set his forefathers free: while helping Adam to rise, he treads on a hideous Satan, who lies vanquished and blind with rage.