Christ descending into Limbo

A print after the tapestry of Christ descending into Limbus, one from a twelve-piece set depicting scenes from the Life of Christ, traditionally known as the Scuola Nuova. Dated. Numbered at upper right: No.9. Lettered with title in Latin and artists' names.

The tapestry of Christ descending into Limbus is the only one from the original set to have gone lost. The composition is known from various prints including the present one and an engraving by Beatrizet dated 1541 (see RCIN 853280). The other eleven tapestries survive today in the Vatican Museums.

The Scuola Nuova set was probably commissioned by Pope Leo X, but the project seems to have been reactivated by Clement VII after his election as pope in 1523. Apparently designed by Raphael’s former assistants after the death of the master (perhaps incorporating some models by Raphael himself), the tapestries were woven in the workshop of Pieter van Aelst and completed by 1531, when the set was delivered to Rome. Ruland (1876) seemed to accept the traditional view according to which the Scuola Nuova set was a gift to Pope Leo X from Francis I on the occasion of the canonization of Francesco di Paola in 1519. For further discussion, see Bibliographic References.